In spring training, when the theft revelations were new and the injuries were fresh, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood made a prophetic comment when considering retaliating against the hitters of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Houston Astros this season.
“Someone will take it into their own hands,” Wood said, “and they will be suspended more than any of those guys for the biggest cheating scandal in 100 years.”
Five months later, after an unfathomable set of circumstances forced the Dodgers to face the Astros inside an empty Minute Maid Park in Houston, Wood’s teammate became a victim of the cruel irony brought on by the decision of Major League Baseball granting immunity to major culprits in the cartel theft scandal.
Joe Kelly was suspended eight games for his actions in Tuesday’s game, even though he did not hit anyone with a fist or baseball, and was never ejected. The penalty seems tremendously stiff when measured in the context of a 60 game season. Eight games is more than 13% of that and the equivalent of a 22-game suspension in a 162-game season.
In the past 10 years, no player has received a suspension of more than 20 games for a rape that was not linked to performance-enhancing drugs, recreational drugs, substance abuse, domestic violence, or, in the case of Juan Carlos Oviedo, identity fraud.
In punishing Kelly, MLB referenced the 3-0, 96 mph fastball behind Alex Bregman’s head (Astros manager Dusty Baker was sure it was intentional) and teasing Carlos Correa ( Baker said Kelly yelled, “Nice hit, b– -“). MLB also referenced previous suspensions for “intentional shooting,” specifically an incident in April 2018, when Kelly was suspended six games for sinking and fighting New York Yankees infielder Tyler Austin. Put another way: Kelly got two fewer games then, in one season almost three times as many, for an incident that caused much more violence.
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Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly dusts Alex Bregman off the plate, and after Kelly hits Carlos Correa, the two exchange words as the Astros and Dodgers’ benches clear.
Another important reason was not cited in the MLB launch, but it was obvious to virtually everyone. It was what drove Kelly’s actions: Players from both teams spilled onto the field, congregated en masse, some without masks, just a day after the Miami Marlins experienced a COVID-19 outbreak that became in a logistical web for as many as five teams
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was suspended for one game and served him immediately, spoke to league officials Wednesday morning and said they were “not happy” that the strict protocols in his handbook Trades of more than 100 pages were basically ignored due to adrenaline. .
“We are under a microscope,” said Roberts, “what we should be.”
The Dodgers’ biggest source of public anger toward the Astros, aside from the overall feeling of being cheated on from the 2017 World Series, was the lack of punishment on players for what was clearly a player-driven scheme. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred explained that he needed to offer immunity in exchange for open and honest testimony and that the punishments would be too difficult to dispense for transgressions that took place within the secrecy of a clubhouse.
But Dodger players, and many others in the league, were upset by the injustice in a broader context.
That one of his biggest bullpen pieces was hit with such severe punishment for allegedly reacting to a baseball crime that many others believe is “worse than steroids,” probably only exacerbated the Dodgers’ anger.
Kelly, however, is suddenly a popular hero in Los Angeles after being maligned last season for the same erratic pitch that caused all of this. A popular group of fans, Dodgers Nation, has already printed T-shirts to celebrate Kelly’s facial contortions. The Fox Theater in Bakersfield, California wrote “Thank you Joe Kelly” on its marquee. Players like Los Angeles Angels reliever Keynan Middleton and New York Mets starter Marcus Stroman voiced support on social media, providing more evidence that the rest of the league still sees the Astros. resentfully.
Kelly informed the league Wednesday afternoon that she will appeal her suspension, but it was not necessary later that night. Eight other relievers combined to allow an unearned run over the course of 9 2/3 innings, giving the Dodgers a sweep in the two-game series.
Edwin Rios, the rookie corner infielder who provided the winning shot with a 13-inning home run, was asked if he felt additional intensity from his teammates in this series.
“A thousand percent.”
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