Twins right-handed reliever Tyler Duffey and manager Rocco Baldelli have been suspended for their roles in an incident during Tuesday night’s game, in which Duffey appeared to intentionally throw a fastball behind White Sox rookie Yermin Mercedes.
Michael Hill, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president for on-field operations, announced Thursday that Duffey has been hit with a three-game suspension and a fine, while Baldelli was fined and suspended one game.
Baldelli will serve his suspension during the second game of Minnesota’s Thursday doubleheader against the Angels. Duffey has appealed his suspension, so he is eligible to play until the appeal process is complete.
Duffey and Baldelli were ejected during the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game when Duffey threw a fastball that went behind Mercedes, who one night prior launched a 3-0 pitch over the center field fence to give the White Sox a 16-4 lead in the ninth inning.
Hope the Sox score 60 on 'em pic.twitter.com/Mqac1YHntK
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) May 19, 2021
Mercedes violated one of baseball’s unwritten rules, which essentially demands players lay off when the opponent is getting pounded – especially on a 3-0 pitch in the ninth inning.
Baldelli claimed Duffey wasn’t trying to throw at Mercedes.
“We were going out there to pitch him in,” Baldelli said. “That’s going to be part of what we do with him … that being said, again, we have to live with that. We have to live with the umpires’ decision. There was no issue after that pitch. It’s not like we were going out there and trying to hit him or trying to do that again, in any way.”
Clearly, the people making the decisions with MLB didn’t buy Baldelli’s explanation.
