Benches clear, suspensions follow after Dodgers-Padres fireworks
LOS ANGELES (KYMA, KECY) - A heated late-inning showdown between National League West rivals turned chaotic Thursday night, and now Major League Baseball has handed down its response.
Following a benches-clearing brawl between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, MLB announced Friday that Padres reliever Robert Suarez has been suspended three games and fined for intentionally hitting Shohei Ohtani with a pitch. Suarez is appealing the suspension, so the penalty will be delayed until the appeal is heard.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Padres manager Mike Shildt were each given a one-game suspension and a fine for what the league called unsportsmanlike conduct and contributing to the incident. Both managers were ejected during the game after the benches emptied.
Tensions reached a boiling point when Suarez hit Ohtani in the back with a fastball just one at-bat after a Padres batter was brushed back by a Dodgers pitcher.
Players and coaches spilled onto the field, with both dugouts engaging in a prolonged argument near home plate. While no punches were thrown, the scene was enough to draw national attention and prompt MLB to act quickly.
Shildt will miss San Diego's Friday night game against the Kansas City Royals, while Roberts will be absent for the Dodgers' matchup with the Washington Nationals.
The incident marks another chapter in the intensifying rivalry between the two Southern California powerhouses, with playoff implications looming large as the season nears its halfway point.
