Bronson Arroyo got screwed.

The BBQ Pit
1

Six members of Red Sox and Devil Rays suspended.

I’m not so much pitting the fact that he got suspended, because you do the crime, you do the time. I’m pitting the length of the suspension, compared to the length of the suspension handed to Lance Carter.

To recap, apparently there has been some bad blood between the Red Sox and the Devil Rays in the past. Why a yearly contender feels the need to get so agressive against a perennial cellar-dweller is beyond me, but I digress.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, Arroyo hits Aubrey Huff in the body (ribs, I think) because Huff is 7-10 against him. :rolleyes: Stupid move, but he kept the pitch down, for the most part. In the top of the 7th, Carter whizzes one high and behind Manny Remirez, who proceeds to deposit the next offering into the left field seats. The very next batter, David Ortiz, nearly takes one in the ear, and is understandably upset. He takes a few steps toward the mound, hugging and goodwill abound, and warnings are issued. Carter and 3 others were ejected. In the bottom of the 7th, Arroyo hits a batter in the leg, resulting in another wave of warm wishes and dancing, and He and Francona get early showers.

Did Arroyo deserve to be suspended? Yes, absolutely. However, a six game vacation is a bit much, considering where he hit the batters. As is the “unwritten rule” or whatever you want to call it, message pitches are sent to the ribs, legs, or assquarters. Arroyo followed this code, spread it over two innings, and got 6 games. Carter goes headhunting on two consecutive batters in the same inning, and sits for 5?!?!

The punishments do not fit the crime here. Carter should get the six games, and Arroyo 4, tops.

Don’t even get me started about suspending pitchers 6 games. That’s only 2 starts at most. 12 game minimum in the future for pitchers, Bob. Make it hurt.

2

I agree that the length of the suspensions should be reversed, but I disagree with the part I’ve quoted. As far as I know, suspensions are without pay. Why should a pitcher lose 12 games salary when a fielder will only lose six? Just not right.

3

Do pitchers get paid per team game, or by start?

4

By game. Same as anyone else.

5

Oh. Then I retract my last paragraph.
:smack:

6

My understanding (could be wrong) is that the salary to be paid is divided by the number of paydays in a season. A suspended without pay player is docked by his salary divided by 162 for each game missed.

7

It is hard for me to comment without seeing the video, but if Carter really was trying to bean 2 straight batters then he should looking at least 20 games. In baseball 5 games is nothing over a 162 game schedule, especially for a pitcher. 20 games would cost a starter at least what, 4 games (starts)? That is at least a better sting than 5 games (1 start).

8

That’s what I thought, too, but as TYM and Neurotik pointed out, that’s an unfair penalty, paycheck-wise.

But if MLB wants to make the point that headhunting is wrong, anything over the shoulders is an automatic 30 day suspension. The drawback to this is that it’s too hard to differentiate between a high inside fastball that simply and legitimately got away, and an actual beanball.

9

The reason Arroyo got 6 games is because he went out in the top of the 7th with the intent to pop the first batter. He was quite possibly told to do it (why else would Boston have two guys throwing in the pen before the inning started?) and so I think it’s justified.

To be honest, the suspensions seemed pretty fair to me. I’m still not convinced the pitch to Ortiz was intentional (it looked like a slider that slipped, to me) but in that situation it’s something that’s got to be punished.

10

D’oh. BOTTOM of the 7th.

11

There you have it.

Arroyo hit a batter AFTER WARNINGS HAD BEEN ISSUED. It strikes me as being appropriate that the punishments should be more severe for headhunting that takes place after the umps have already ejected people and issued warnings.

The brawl was over, and Arroyo went out and started it again. He should have gotten the longest suspension of any player, but really, an ever longer suspension - 10 games, I’d say - should have been handed to Terry Francona.

12

So firing a 90+ MPH horsehide sphere at someone’s head is less of an inftraction than hitting a guy in the ass? How many careers have been jeopardized, lives put in danger, by getting popped in the fleshy part of your body? While I agree that throwing a batter is indeed a suspendable offense, you have to consider the intent. Carter retaliated by throwing at at least one batter’s head. Arroyo, whatever message he was sending, threw at the guys thigh. He didn’t go for the noggin, didn’t try for the knee. Having a welt on the thigh is much less serious than having a concussion.

Again, I agree Arroyo should have been suspended. But not for any longer than carter.

13

Taken in context, it seems pretty obvious to me.

Retaliatory beanball misses badly, next offering sent 400 feet or more. You really think he wasn’t coming after Ortiz? :wink:

14

Nope, I don’t. It did look like a pitch gone bad. Boston seems to be a team full of hotheads and I think they like to live up to their look which is that of a prison baseball team w/out razors and things like soap.

Two warming in the bullpen ready to go when Arroyo threw? Intentional hit after being warned, sounds like his punishment is fitting. If you believe that he didn’t hit him on purpose, Dubya has a social security plan he’d like to talk to you about.

15

And people wonder at the way hockey hands out penalties. It isn’t always cut and dried. But surely 1/6th of the season isn’t an unreasonable penalty if he actually was headhunting. If, and unfortunately when, headhunting happens in hockey you hear about people crying for the police to get involved.

16

What makes you think I believe Arroyo’s pitches were anything but intentional?

Was it in the OP when I supposed a reason behind hitting Huff? Or was it somewhere in the rest of the thread when I reiterated that Arroyo should have been suspended? Just wondering.

17

Arroyo is a starting pitcher so a 6 game suspension is equivilent to one start. Carter is a relief pitcher so him being suspended for 5 games means the team actually suffers for 5 games while he is out. As far as I can tell these suspensions are with pay.

18

Preach it. This Boston team is just as whiny as their fans. Boston leads the majors in plunking the opposing team. And their best players crowd the plate like, um, something that crowds the plate a lot. Basically, they’re a bunch of bullies. Which is fine if it helps you win. But don’t complain when a team starts standing up for itself and playing the same game with your batters.

Frankly, if I was pitching against the Sox, I’d be coming high and inside a lot more than other teams do. And if a Boston starter hit one of my guys, I’d follow Drysdale’s rule. The next two Boston batters would be on the ground.

19

It appears you’re right, and I’m wrong. Some serious googling couldn’t turn up anything authoritative, but it seems that these days suspended players do in general get paid - steroid suspensions excepted.