The powers that be have decided enough is enough. After Noe Ramirez hit Jake Marisnick in Tuesday night’s game between the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros, the league office has decided to suspend Ramirez for three games and manager Brad Ausmus for one game.
Noé Ramirez was suspended for 3 games and Brad Ausmus was suspended for one game, after last night's incident in the #Angels-Astros game.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) July 17, 2019
Ausmus immediately served his one game suspension, and bench coach Josh Paul managed the Angels in his stead last night. Things didn’t go so well as Houston smashed the Angels 11-2, but Ausmus will be back in the dugout tonight when the two teams square off for the last time until late August.
Noé Ramírez is appealing.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) July 17, 2019
Ramirez decided to challenge the decision, and he is still eligible to play while his ruling is under appeal.
Angels fans were in an uproar when it was announced that Ramirez would be suspended for more games than Marisnick was for bowling over Jonathan Lucroy at the plate earlier this month. Lucroy is still out as he is dealing with a broken nose and a concussion from the incident.
One thing to remember about the suspension, Noe pitches basically once every three days, so he’s really only getting a one game suspension. Marisnick is an everyday play.
Im not saying that it’s fair by any means, I’m just stating the facts.
— Jared Tims (@Jared_Tims) July 17, 2019
As Jared Tims points out, the length of the suspension is due to the fact that Ramirez is a pitcher, while Marisnick is a position player. Just like when a starting pitcher is suspended five games for an incident, the real suspension is essentially a single game, and MLB is just trying to ensure there is similar time off.
"I think it's bull—-."
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) July 18, 2019
Many of the Angels’ fans aren’t happy with the decision, and neither are the players. However, you really can’t blame MLB for wanting to put a lid on this stuff. Rather than risk watching these incidents potentially escalate even further, this should snuff out any more retaliatory measures.
Mike Trout is expected to return to the lineup for the first time since Sunday, so the Angels will have plenty to cheer for without the bad blood.
H/T Orange County Register
