Barnes appeals four-game ban
Major League Baseball doesn’t mess around with pitches near the head.
Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes was suspended four games and fined an undisclosed amount for what MLB deemed as “intentionally throwing at the head of Manny Machado” during the Sox’ 6-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
Barnes has appealed the suspension and should be available out of the bullpen when the Red Sox begin a three-game series against the New York Yankees tonight.
The pitch in question was thrown at 90 mph and located behind the head of Machado, just missing his helmet but hitting his bat and earning Barnes an immediate ejection. Barnes’ fastball usually sits around 96 mph and tops out at 100 mph. Catcher Christian Vazquez was set up outside.
Barnes, who has a 3.60 ERA this year, claimed the pitch was unintentional, but after Machado’s spikes-up slide injured Dustin Pedroia last Friday it must have looked too much like retribution for MLB to ignore.
“Trying to go in on him,” Barnes said. “The scouting report is all blue inside. If he gets extension he can drive the ball to right field, trying to go in and it got away from me.
“I would never ever intentionally throw at somebody’s head. That’s kind of a line you don’t cross. I’m sorry that it kind of ended up that high and fortunately it didn’t not hit him but I think he’s got every right to be mad that that one got loose.”
Manager John Farrell backed up Barnes’ claim that the pitch simply got away from him.
Pedroia, though, wasn’t happy with it.
“I just told (Machado) I didn’t have anything to do with that,” Pedroia said. “That’s not how you do that, man.”
Asked on Sunday if he thought he would get suspended, Barnes said, “No, not at all. It was a foul ball and we’ll see what the league says and go from there I guess.”
The Orioles are in town for a four-game set starting next Monday.