The suspension appeals for Yankees first baseman Tyler Austin and Red Sox setup man Joe Kelly have both been heard. Austin’s suspension has been reduced from five games to four, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link), while Kelly’s six-game suspension was upheld (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Ian Browne). Both players were suspended and fined for their respective roles in the bench-clearing brawl two weeks back.
Some more notes from the division…
- With Austin suspended, Neil Walker could pick up those starts at first base, and the opportunity will be an important one for him, writes Newsday’s Steven Marcus. With Austin and rehabbing Greg Bird likely to hold down first base, Gleyber Torres now at second base, Miguel Andujar at third base and Brandon Drury on the mend, Walker’s role with the Yankees is becoming increasingly muddied as he battles through a dismal start to the season. Walker, who is hitting just .172/.232/.203, made no excuses for his poor start and said his shortened Spring Training and injury history aren’t at the root of his struggles.
- Xander Bogaerts could return to the Red Sox today, writes Chad Jennings of The Athletic (subscription link), which would cut into the playing time of a resurgent Brock Holt, who is hitting .340/.400/.520 through his first 55 trips to the plate. Holt chats with Jennings about his lost 2017 season which was ruined by recurring symptoms of vertigo that impacted him at the plate and in the field. Boston made the decision to hang onto Holt and instead trade Deven Marrero to the D-backs in Spring Training, entrusting Holt to be the primary utility infielder in the process. Now, however, there’s at least some minor injury concern with Holt; he exited last night’s game with tightness in his hamstring and is set to be re-evaluated today (Twitter link via Jennings). If he requires a DL stint, the Sox could potentially just flip Holt and Bogaerts, placing the former on the disabled list while activating the latter.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tackles a host of Orioles questions from readers in light of the team’s awful start to the season, with topics ranging from the slow starts by Alex Cobb and Chris Tillman to the eventual promotion of Austin Hays. Of note, Kubatko reveals upon being asked about a possible J.J. Hardy reunion that the longtime O’s shortstop “seems quite content at home with his family.” Kubatko notes that he even broached the idea with some within the organization after Tim Beckham’s injury and was told that no one within the org seems to think that Hardy is reconsidering his current situation. The 35-year-old Hardy spent the past seven seasons as Baltimore’s primary shortstop but hit .217/.255/.323 through 73 games in an injury-plagued 2017 season and didn’t sign anywhere as a free agent this winter.
The only benefit for hardy to come play for this sorry team is the money. He’s got plenty of it. I’d stay home with my family too
How would money be a motivating factor? He likely wouldn’t get anything more than a minor league deal.
Minor league deal > no money
It’s hard to remember but Austin still has his rookie status intact. Right now he’s leading all AL rookies in homeruns and RBIs. I know this season is too short to project anything but how crazy would it be that of all the hype our rookies have gotten and how much anticipation has been attached to Torres, Andujar and Wade, Austin ends up being ROY?
He won’t get the playing time if Bird can stay healthy!
If he’s posting similar numbers by the time Bird returns then they will absolutely find ABs for him. I love Bird and so does the FO it seems but you can shelf a guy performing for a guy whose numbers were NOT that impressive in spring training AND is injury prone. They’ll find a way to fit both guys in.
If Bird does make it back Austin will probably see time verses Lefties.
There was anticipation for Wade? He’s not highly rated, is he? Looking back, last year was his only real good year
Shouldn’t have reduced Austin’s suspension, seems to lessen the idea that targeting 2nd basemen is about as wrong as throwing at players.
I don’t think you can compare a runner going into 2b and making a hard slide that did NOT COME CLOSE TO INJURING the 2B vs a pitcher making the choice saying “I’m going to hurl this 90+ mph pitch at this batter”. A HITTER in the AL has NO WAY POSSIBLE of retaliating at THAT SPECIFIC pitcher since a) he’s not a pitcher b) Pitchers don’t hit in the AL thus a teammate can’t even get even for them either. Yankee pitchers would have to hit one of the Sox’ position players which just exacerbates the matter.
You can argue that Austin had no intention to hurt the guy whereas we know what Kelly’s intention was and if his control is off then next thing you know Austin could’ve hit someplace that would’ve done greater damage,
In a perfect world Austin should get 5 minutes to shoot the fade man to man.
It’s obvious you never played the game, Homer. Austin’s intent was to hurt, spikes up and out. He should’ve gotten even more time off than Kelly Imo. Austin was the instigator.
Yep. Austin could have just taken the drilling and walked to first base. He didn’t. He should have been given a longer “vacation”.
Agreed.
It’s obvious that you don’t understand English since there ARE rules against that but the umpires didn’t see intent to injure. Think what you want. It’s very, very subjective.
Dude he slid past the base with spikes up it was, at the very least an overly aggressive slide, the fact that his suspension was reduced is a joke. Let me guess that clown Joe Torre reduces the suspension on the Yankee but upheld the suspenion on the Red Sox guy hmmm not surprising. Later in the game JBJ had a chance to legally blowup DIdi and didn’t wonder what what the Yankee fans would say if JBJ oversold the bag and took Didi out?
“Overslid”
The umpires didn’t see fit to call a dirty or illegal slide so the suspension was for the fight not the slide. Keep in mind, he didn’t do ANYTHING to Kelly. So Kelly started it and Austin reacted. Take your emotions out and deal with facts.
Anyone who saw the play (with the exception of blind Yank Homers) and understands or has played the game beyond South Beach Billy’s tee-ball experience SAW exactly what Austin’s intent was. Has nothing to do with emotion, genius.
Kelly did what he had to. Your boy started it. The Sox then went about ending it. How Autism made it out of A ball is the bigger mystery
Hey Bruin. Time to get mommy to ease up in the meds. Your comparisons are hilarious and your rationalizations better than that. Perhaps if your IF knew how to jump and pivot there would have been NO issue.
Hey Lenny. Your namesake was institutionalized and with your posts being absent of reality, there are more than a few votes for you following in his foot steps.
Bravado is great in the first month when the schedule makers were kind, however it will balance itself out AND you will be dusting off your patriots helmet by 4th of July as your team does an early fade.
And the clown speaks you must off been given your phone back from mommy. Are you off restriction now?
As a Sox fan, I’m trying to remain objective. The Pedie incident the year before compounds things. The fact that Holt was not injured has no bearing on it. In the 70s and 80s there would not have been an issue. Today’s game however is geared toward protecting the players be it home plate or the bases. Since they got rid of the neighborhood play. he should have been suspended and kicked out for the late slide and extending his leg. If he had been, the incident ends right there. The ump also could have tried to defuse it by warning Kelly after his first attempt. Since it was so blatant, I have no issue with 6 for Kelly. I do question reducing by a game Austin’s suspension. On a lighter note, Vasquez should be forced to watch the video and his poor excuse of grabbing his shirt. A catcher wearing equipment has to get in to protect his pitcher.
Going with spikes up, off the bag, the conclusion has to include the possibility of injury. The neighborhood play was eliminated meaning infielders are more vulnerable.
Your Sox fans make us Yankee fans laugh……pull up your big boy pants and stop complaining about hard nosed baseball.
Talk about BLIND HOMERS….I guess you must have been on the field and judged intent….OH you weren’t….your just a uninformed, don’t know the rules FAN!!!
Dude, that clown Torre, has more rings than any Boston manager and reducing the suspension by 1 game isn’t exactly the crime of the century except on Yawkey Way…..Oh I forgot you had to change the name of the street named after one of the most racist owners in history!
About time you Sox homers understood that the Yankees aren’t going to take that Sh_t anymore.
Go home and cry to mommy!
Hey Ricky it has been and always will be policed in the field. If JBJ went in spikes up and clipped Didi I would fully expect that the Yankees would pluck him it’s been that way since baseball began. You come in spikes up you are going to get thrown at period. Stop pretending that it would go down any other way of a Sox guy came in spikes up.
Spikes up or spikes down doesn’t give a scrub reliever the right to throw at someone’s head. If Holt thought it was dirty he should have Manned-Up and handled it himself.
He didn’t throw at his head. Holt isn’t the kind of guy that is going to go that route. He will be upset about but just because you don’t throw down right there doesn’t make you less of a man. Baseball has policed its own you come in with spikes and overslide the base and push you spikes out to make contact you get thrown at get over it. I would expect nothing but the same if a Red Sox player slid in the same way Austin did. I don’t understand why you can’t understand this.
Rocky 7. The game has changed. Pedroia got hurt last year on a play that would never have happened in the old days because the infielders then were aware it was going to happen. It’s a long season so please shut your trap until October.
Over talked. Just dumb.
“Hard nosed baseball”, please. Intentionally trying spike someone, thus intentionally trying to injure them, isn’t hard nosed baseball. Austin is a moron.
Sorry everyone for the back to back posts. They were meant as responses to different blogs.
The slide was never in question in this case. If the fight never occurred, no suspensions would have been handed out. I’m not comparing intentional beaning and charging the mound, but that was the action that was considered in the case of suspension.
Agreed. IMO, the slide was dirty, but not illegal and shouldn’t be factored into the suspension.
The slide was obviously in question with the Red Sox players. Kelly did what he had to do. Pedroia is Still recovering from probably a lesser slide then what Austin did. It’s been happening for a 100 years in baseball Austin is just lucky Bob Gibson wasn’t pitching or he would of got it in the ear. I don’t condone head hunting like what Gibson did but you have to expect retaliation if you do a questionable slide or show someone up. Take your medicine and move on Austin’s slide was questionable at best he slid past the bag and appeared to push his cleats out to make contact.
Typical Sox fan..oh woe is me. When will you stop blaming and just own that Kelly was wrong.
Wasn’t wrong did what he had to do if a sox player did the same slide I guarantee you a Yankee pitcher would plunk him in the back. It’s just the way it is the question is if you charge the mound period end of story.
What Kelly did was absolutely correct. Dirty slide equals accountability AKA a nice drilling in the back. Very simple. All should have been done right then and there. Austin wasn’t having it.
Now, I don’t believe Austin intended to injure Holt. I think his instincts to break up a double play took over (despite the rules). Maybe he didn’t intend to cleat Holt, but he did. That is grounds for a drilling. That should have been the final chapter.
Agreed! But the powers that be in MLB are headquartered in NY! The Yanks get special treatment.
Ya that’s why there last title was 2009! Special treatment!
Come-On-Man..You can’t be serious.
4 games seems fair for Austin. Haters will complain of course.
Intentional battery is in fact worse than accidentally injuring someone with poor process, yes.
Thats why people who hit pedestrians accidentally do not get arrested, even if it was their own stupidity that caused it. On the other hand, if you plan to stab someone and then go stab them, that’s a felony.
Intent to injure is a big deal, and only the beaning (and any beaning) contains that element. It’s not a difficult concept at all really.
Only Austin did intend to harm, Matlock. Jeez.I’m wondering if you even SAW the play.
I did see it. He slid like any fat clunky guy that doesn’t know how to slide: he bounced on the ground and his legs flew up.
Regardless, sliding is an actual baseball move that baseball players do for reasons other than injury. Beanings literally only serve one purpose.
Yes, it is a move practiced by ballplayers from high school and beyond. There is a proper way, as there is a way to attempt to hurt whoever has the vad to turn the double play. Austin’s spikes were out, toward the player. Smh.
I hate when people generalize laws in society and then apply them to specific cases in baseball.
I’m sure you hate a lot of other applications of common sense and logic as well. Not really my problem though.
Feel the Burn. Good one
1,000 likes if i could.
Admittedly I am biased, but how is Kelly’s longer than Austins? 1. The whole thing started off the slide. 2. Austin charged the mound, Kelly didnt charge the plate. 3. Austin randomly punched the Sox third base coach. I’m not saying Kelly is innocent. Kelly threw at Austin and egged him on, so he knew what he was getting into, but Austin is equally guilty, not less.
It’s probably just because Kelly is a pitcher who’s not going to play in all of those games anyway, I guess.
Another good point. Games for a starting position player inherently mean more than a pitcher.
But even with that, if Austin’s was lowered 1 game, Kelly’s should have been as well. I’d also be saying the same thing if it was the other way around.
I can’t speak for relievers, but, historically speaking, that sentiment has been carried out in the case of starting pitchers. Suspending a sp for 4 games after his last start is obviously negligible.
Kelly’s action, hitting Austin, caused the reaction of the fight. Kelly plays 1-2 innings, 3-4 games a week, Austin plays 9 innings 6 times a week. The instigator of the fight was the guy with the least to lose for his team. In reality, Kelly and the Red Sox have a much less penalty.
Austin is NOT guilty because no one can say it was anything than a hard slide. There is a RULE about sliding into another player yet the umpires never accused Bird of violating it. The Sox may have felt a kinda way about it but it was not ruled as a dirty play. Pitchers shouldn’t feel safe with throwing at hitters.
Kelly isn’t guilty either….the ball slipped out of his hand and accidents do happen. Austin was entitled to first base, which is the penalty for any pitcher hitting a batter.
So accidents happen and then the pitcher is so eager to fight like Kelly was? REALLY? Really…(in a whisper)…really?
Self defense. Austin was supposed to trot to first base.
You’re delusional
Bird? What game were you watching, genius?
Where his spikes were when he slid in speaks as to intent. Why are Yankees fans such children?
Seriously! It was a dirty slide. clear as day what he was trying to do.
Quit being a weasel.
Seems to me from the comments by Red Sox fans, you’re the babies.
Yank fans are just responding!
What’s he going to miss….one turn…possibly 9 innings?
.Austin as a position player misses 36 potential innings of play.
I just think it was awesome Kelly welcomed the fight. That was cool to see. He was willing to back up his throw.
Let’s see him welcome Judge to a fight!
Judge was separating the Sox players like Andre the Giant vs 12 year olds.
Judge was separating everybody. Sox and yanks.
Steroids tend to do that
Not in the film I saw. Connected right to the back of his head as he threw Austin to the ground. The punk deserved it.
Big Sloppy is that you?
Big Sloppy +1
Please….Kelly knew that his danger of hitting hit was no more than 5 seconds after Austin left the batters box. Very easy to act mannish when you know the fights going to be broken up quickly.
Still beat Austin’s ass
He punched the ground though…
Haha…yes he did!
Like a mule rental
Don’t bring your mom into this.
But…Kelley missed Austin punched the ground
Don’t think so Scottie!
He welcomed the fight as soon as his catcher was holding Austin’s arms back.
I recall MLB reviewing Austin’s slide into 2nd Base and ruling that it was a legal slide. Perhaps the 2nd baseman should learn to vacate the bag once the force is made. Maybe he wouldn’t have gotten spiked. Rule changes are ruining baseball. Ask Willie Randolph. He’ll agree.
They didn’t review the slide, they reviewed if Holt had a chance at a Double Play, which they ruled he didn’t, which is why a double play wasn’t called.
And Holt was coming off the base when Austin’s cleat clipped his foot. If it hadn’t been, Austin would have been right at the calf.
I went back and watched the video of those games. It is clear… the Yankees got beat down badly.
Better change your eyeglass prescription! You’re seeing things again!
Correct
He’s a Yanks fan so you’ll have to dumb it down considerably. Avoid words longer than seven letters and by no means recite/display actual evidence.
The Red Sox defense has been shaky as of late, and hopefully Bogaerts foot is fully healed and he’s able to play with out hesitation and reach the same balls he was getting at earlier this year. (I’m not saying Bogaerts is an elite fielding SS, but he is better than Holt.)
With a healthy Bogaerts, and Pedroia coming back mid May the defense looks to be improving and that will help the Sox keep a cushion for their push for a 3rd consecutive AL East Title.
It’s obvious you never played the game, Homer. Austin’s intent was to hurt, spikes up and out. He should’ve gotten even more time off than Kelly Imo. Austin was the instigator.
“It’s obvious you never played the game” that is one of the lamest reasons to try and prove a point. You have no godly idea weather Austin had the intent or not. “Austin was the instigator” if that’s true it was against Holt and Kelly had nothing to with it. Go back and listen to Holts post game interview why don’t you.
^your comment proves Lenny correct. Regardless of what you heard Holt say in public, privately every player on the Red Sox knew Austin needed to be held accountable. Austin’s reaction also showed a lack of insight. Instigator or not, Kelly absolutely did right by Holt and the rest of the team, showing no guy will get away from pulling bush league crap Austin tried on that slide.
This ain’t dodge ball. People wonder the NFL and NBA are more popular then MLB.
Trim gets it! The second Austin put the spikes out, Kelly had an obligation to the team, Homer. And he didn’t back down one inch. Old school Homer. Go back to Newark.
Wrong.
Sad but MLB is going the way of the NFL and NBA. No defense in those leagues and juiced balls/bats in baseball.
The spikes genius, they were OUT. That is intent to harm. But I suppose in tee ball, it’s ok.
Thank you Boston’s wicked smart fans for giving us a taste of a typical day’s insights from WEEI. Makes me long for the insights of Eddie Arnold and the Yankee elimination paaaarties of 1996-2000.
But the rule is if he made the hard slide it had to affect the throw to first for double play. And holt never made an attempt to throw to first so again this thing is pointless to argue. Joe kelly threw the fastball up and in and made everything a mess worse for players getting hurt and suspended because of that stupid stunt.
Why comment if you’ve never played the game? What did you expect Holt to do given that slide? Why are Yankee Homers so utterly blind?
Hey Lenny. You never played the game either…except your keyboards. Holt should have Pivoted and jumped.
It’s in the video, “getting your throw off without getting hit”.
As for Joe Kelly, he will need to wear a
helmet when he is next on the mound against the Yankees. He’s going to get hit hard, which he is used to; except it will be a line drive up the middle that will cause him to need assistance tomleace the field.
He slid past the bag with cleats up and kicking out at Holts shin. The rule is limited to interference on DP attempts. There is in effect no sliding rule on a force out. That does not mean a slide is not dirty. It was a dirty slide and players have ways of taking care of dirty players. Next time he may not be so lucky as to be plunked in back.
Good to have Brock Holt back to himself. Easily in the top 7 short stops in the league now.
You’re a funny man, bald Vinny.
fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=ss&stats=bat&#…
Evidence is there!
Evidence? You’re wasting time on the Yank Homers. They are children.
As are all fact-based, reasoned, pragmatics it would seem
Kelly will miss 4 innings. Austin will miss 4 games . Kelly wins again.
Of course the Yankees get off easy… they have MLB in their back pocket
It’s good to be king
You know after all this discussion I was starting to think maybe, as a Red Sox fan, I was overreacting to the slide. Went back and watched it five times on you tube and I am now convinced more then ever it was a dirty slide. I have watched a lot of slides and I agree that you can hit the ground and your leg can come up spikes up. What don’t agree with is if you really watch the slide with non fan glasses Austin didn’t just throw his straight he wiped it across to try and make contact past the bag. He made a dirty slide watch it again and I guarantee you when that same slide happens to a Yankee player there would be retaliation. Austin got good old fashioned baseball justice didn’t get hit in the head just got plucked and he choose to charge the mound. Anyone with a modicum of sense knew that he was going to get plucked just watch the you tube video and tell me one team that wasn’t going to throw at Austin if you say they wouldn’t you are kidding yourself.
If the plunking means Austin never does it again, it would have been worth it regardless of how many people on this site disagree with it.
I don’t get this. Everyone above is trying to figure out if Austin deserved a suspension for the slide. Maybe it was intentional, maybe it wasn’t. There’s no doubt Kelly was trying to hit him. Kelly deserves a suspension. But so does Austin! He CHARGED THE MOUND. MLB now has shown that charging the mound is worth 2 days less than hitting someone. That’s a pretty good trade off for people who want to charge the mound.
Yes, I know Kelly is a pitcher, so 6 days isn’t really 6 days, but he’s not a starter, so it’s not like the classic 4 game suspension which is just your rest days. It’s really like 2-3 appearances for Kelly.
Only Orioles fans would want to bring back a 36 year old shortstop who can’t hit, purely for nostalgia sake.
And you guys wonder why your teams is horrid.