Share
Sports

MLB Officially Suspends Pitcher Who Plunked Red-Hot Prospect Acuna

Share

Major League Baseball suspended Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Urena on Thursday for throwing at the Atlanta Braves red-hot rookie Ronald Acuna Jr.

Urena got hit with a six-game suspension for “intentionally hitting” Acuna on Wednesday night, MLB.com reported.

He was also fined an undisclosed sum.

Acuna was the first batter of the game for the Braves in the bottom of the first. Urena hit him with a 97 mile per hour fastball on the left elbow.

Trending:
Prince Harry Named in Major Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Against Rapper

The pitch sparked both benches to clear.

Acuna left the game but was not seriously injured. He played Thursday night in the Atlanta’s 5-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

Many fans believe Urena should have received a harsher suspension for throwing at the rookie, who had hit leadoff home runs in the prior two games against the Marlins. They believe Urena plunked him to make sure the 20-year-old phenom didn’t do it again.

But Urena said in an Instagram post that he wasn’t trying to hit Acuna.

“While pitching against the Braves, my intentions were not to hurt anyone. I was pitching my game plan as I always do. Unfortunately things escalated into something that was never intended. I am glad and thankful Ronald Acuna was able to return to the lineup this evening without there being any issues. I am a competitor and want to compete anytime I am on the mound, and have the utmost respect for those who I compete against,” Urena said in the post, MLB.com reported.

Urena was ejected from the game as was Braves manager Brian Snitker. Braves first base coach Eric Young got hit with a one-game suspension for shoving Marlins third baseman Brian Anderson in the melee.

Do you think Urena should have received a longer suspension?
Related:
Devout Christian and MLB Legend Darryl Strawberry Hospitalized After Medical Emergency, Still Glorifies God

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said he understood why the Braves were upset, but said Urena has a history of throwing inside.

“If you watch Jose pitch, pretty much the first pitch of every game is pretty much there,” Mattingly said, according to MLB.com. “We talked with Jose right after the game, and basically, he was saying, he knows the guy has been swinging the bat good. He was trying to get one close. He was trying to run it off in there, and that was the purpose of his pitch. That’s exactly what he told us. I had talked with him before that. It was like, ‘This kid is swinging the bat good. We’ve got to figure out how to get him out, right.'”

Urena leads the majors with 11 hit batters this season. Last year he hit 14 batters to lead the majors.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
,
Share
Dave is a lifelong sports fan who has been writing for The Wildcard since 2017. He has been a writer for more than 20 years for a variety of publications.
Dave has been writing about sports for The Wildcard since 2017. He's been a reporter and editor for over 20 years, covering everything from sports to financial news. In addition to writing for The Wildcard, Dave has covered mutual funds for Pensions and Investments, meetings and conventions, money market funds, personal finance, associations, and he currently covers financial regulations and the energy sector for Macallan Communications. He has won awards for both news and sports reporting.
Location
Massachusetts
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Sports




Conversation