Cleveland keeps pitchers away after violations
Astros hitting coach suspended, fined for role in bench-clearing brawl
CLEVELAND— The Cleveland Indians went a step further than just putting Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac into quarantine.
They’ve been sent away from the team, and it’s not known when they’ll be back.
Cleveland placed the two starting pitchers on the restricted list after the right-handers broke team rules and Major League Baseball protocols by leaving their hotel in Chicago last weekend and risking exposure to the COVID-19 virus.
“This one kind of hurts,” said Indians manager Terry Francona, who returned Tuesday from a week away to address a lingering medical issue to find his team dealing with an internal situation that could affect its season.
“We’ll deal with it like we always do. We care about each other. It doesn’t mean you don’t get disappointed with each other or even mad at each other sometimes. But what I care about is making it better.”
Clevinger and Plesac went out Saturday night with a group of people following the Indians’ win over the White Sox. The team had implemented a code of conduct for players to follow on road trips, forbidding them from socializing outside of the team’s players and staff.
Once they learned about Plesac going out, the Indians immediately got him car service to drive him to Cleveland. But the team was not aware Clevinger had been with him until after he flew back to Ohio with his teammates, coaches and other personnel.
Team president Chris Antonetti did not divulge any details of how the team learned about Clevinger’s indiscretion. Antonetti said he has spoken with Clevinger and that the freespirited 29-year-old understands he violated team rules.
They can’t be 100 per cent certain, but the Indians don’t believe Plesac or Clevinger came in contact with anyone who has the virus. Both players will be tested Wednesday and the team will consult with medical experts based on those results.
Antonetti said the decision to put them on the restricted list was not mandatory, but the Indians felt it was appropriate given their actions.
“It’s not ideal,” he said. “But we felt it was the right thing to do. We said from the beginning, even if you go back to March 13, we will continue to prioritize the health and wellness of our players and staff. Based upon the behaviours of Zach and Clev, we felt that they had an elevated level of risk, so we wanted to make sure we did what we could do to protect the rest of our group.”
Astros coach gets 20-game ban: Houston Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron received a 20-game suspension and a fine Tuesday for his role in a benches-clearing brawl at Oakland, while Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano was given a sixgame suspension and a fine.
Cintron’s suspension is the longest for an on-field transgression in 15 years, since Texas pitcher Kenny Rogers received 20 games for his altercation with two cameramen in 2005.
“I accept MLB’s suspension and will learn from this,” Cintron said in a statement. As coaches, we are held to a higher standard and should be an example to the players.
Laureano appealed, so his discipline won’t begin Tuesday night against the Angels, Major League Baseball said.
Laureano was hit by a pitch from Humberto Castellanos with one out in the seventh inning of Oakland’s 7-2 victory Sunday. It was the third time he was hit in the weekend series swept by Oakland.