Manfred: Beanballs not option
Commissioner tries to curtail retaliation plans against Astros
With baseball ablaze over the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal, commissioner Rob Manfred met with nearly half of the major league managers Sunday and told them to knock off any notion of get-even beanballs.
“I hope that I made it extremely clear to them that retaliation ingame by throwing at a batter intentionally will not be tolerated, whether it’s Houston or anybody else,” Manfred said. “It’s dangerous, and it is not helpful to the current situation.”
Kris Bryant, Cody Bellinger, Trevor Bauer and Carlos Correa were among the All-stars recently trading threats, accusations and barbs as spring training opened. The revelation of Houston’s sign-stealing scam, the punishment imposed by Major League Baseball and poorly received apologies by the Astros further enhanced anger across the sport, with players, club management and fans joining in.
“The back-and-forth that’s gone on is not healthy,” Manfred said.
Manfred previously had planned to attend a news conference at Atlanta’s new camp, along with managers and representatives of teams training in Florida to talk about the upcoming season. Instead of an uplifting look at the upcoming season, as this annual press session is, there was no doubt what was the No. 1 topic.
Manfred said he personally would talk to the managers of the teams that train in Arizona on Tuesday.
In further fallout from the Astros’ scheme, Manfred said the investigation into the Boston Red Sox could be completed within two weeks. He also said he planned to meet the players’ union to discuss new rules limiting in-game video access.
Manfred also said MLB officials discussed the possibility of vacating the Astros’ 2017 World Series championship.
“First of all, it had never happened in baseball,” Manfred said. “I am a precedent guy. The 2017 World Series will always be looked at as different, whether not you put an asterisk or ask for the trophy back.
“Once you go down that road as for changing the result on the field, I just don’t know where you stop.”
Astros players were granted immunity for taking part in the investigation, but Manfred said that “if I was in a world where I could have found the facts without granting immunity, I would have done that.”
Left-hander Chris Sale (pneumonia-induced weakness) and outfielder Alex Verdugo (stress fracture in back) are recovering from setbacks that could keep them out of Boston’s Opening Day lineup. Verdugo, acquired from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade, is not
Red Sox:
expected to break camp with the rest of the team.
Brewers:
Left-hander Brent Suter agreed to a two-year, $2.5 million deal, avoiding an arbitration hearing that had been set for this week. The 30-year-old, who made $568,300 in 2019, returned from Tommy John surgery in September and went 4-0 with a 0.49 ERA in nine relief outings.
Outfielder Mitch Haniger, a 2018 All-star, underwent lower-back surgery, three weeks after having core surgery — with both procedures related to a ruptured testicle he sustained in a June game. The 29-year-old’s return has no timetable.
Free-agent righthander Chad Bettis signed a minor league deal with an invitation to major league spring training. The 30-year-old has a 5.12 ERA in parts of seven major league seasons, all with Colorado.
Right-hander Miles Mikolas was scratched from his second bullpen session of the spring because of a flexor tendon issue, and his return has no timetable, manager Mike Shildt said.
Mariners: Yankees: Cardinals:
MOUNTAIN WEST
No. 4 San Diego State 72, BOISE STATE 55: Malachi Flynn had 22 points and six assists for the Aztecs (26-0, 15-0), who handed the Broncos (17-10, 9-6) their first home league loss since Feb. 27.
Yanni Wetzell had 14 points and seven rebounds for San Diego State, which had all five of its starters score in double figures while extending the nation’s longest active win streak.
Justinian Jessup scored 22 points for Boise State, which shot 41.2 percent. The Broncos trailed 40-26 at intermission after the Aztecs closed the first half on an 8-2 run.
TOP 25
No. 15 Villanova 76, TEMPLE 56: Collin Gillespie hit seven 3-pointers and totaled 29 points for the Wildcats (19-6), who erased a four-point halftime deficit with three quick 3-pointers and buried the Owls (13-12).
Jermaine Samuels scored 13 points for Villanova, which finished 4-0 in the Big
5, a yearly round-robin series that also includes other Philadelphia teams La Salle, Pennsylvania and Saint Joseph’s.
NO. 17 OREGON 80, Utah 62: Payton Pritchard scored 25 points for the Ducks (20-6, 9-4 Pac-12), who shot 58 percent and dropped the Utes (14-11, 5-8) to 1-8 on the road.
No. 21 Iowa 58, MINNESOTA 55: Luka Garza scored 24 points for the Hawkeyes (18-8, 9-6), who trailed the Golden Gophers (12-12, 6-8) by eight with 5:25 left but closed on an 11-0 run.