MLB has announced that Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster will be fined and suspended five games with pay for his intentional plunking of Alex Rodriguez during Sunday night's series finale at Fenway Park. The suspension would begin tonight unless Dempster appeals, but, because of the way the Red Sox schedule works out, it is possible that his punishment doesn't even cost him a start.
Weak sauce, MLB. Doesn't even cost him a start RT @BryanHoch: Red Sox RHP Ryan Dempster gets a five-game suspension from MLB.
— Jay Jaffe (@jay_jaffe) August 20, 2013
Dempster's suspension WITH pay, but w an "undisclosed" fine. Glad they suspended him, but violent "culture of honor" survives intact.
— Brian Kenny (@MrBrianKenny) August 20, 2013
That's pretty much as you'd expect, unfortunately. Intentionally setting out to hit a player without even having the defense of saying that you were defending a teammate is one of the scummiest actions on the baseball diamond. Is the punishment severe enough to keep more players from declaring open season on A-Rod's ribs/arms/back for the rest of the season? Who knows.
Punishments for the ruckus didn't stop there, though. Manager Joe Girardi was also fined for his actions following the hit by pitch. Make no mistake that Girardi left no question about his displeasure with the fact that both benches were warned and Dempster wasn't ejected from the game. Still, it seems like fining him for defending his player against being intentionally hit by an object known to cause bodily harm seems pretty ridiculous.
Do you feel like MLB's punishment was fair? Will their course of action keep players from following in Dempster's footsteps going forward?
According to AP, Dempster's fine was $2,500, in addition to the suspension. Joe Girardi's fine was $5,000
— Anthony McCarron (@AnthonyMcCarron) August 20, 2013
Major League Baseball says that because Dempster's transgression happened on the field his suspension is WITH PAY.
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) August 20, 2013