Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Edwin Uceta has been handed a three-game suspension for deliberately throwing at Nick Castellanos of the Philadelphia Phillies
Tampa Bay pitcher Edwin Uceta was handed a three-game suspension and fined on Wednesday for deliberately throwing at Nick Castellanos, which led the Philadelphia Phillies outfielder to compare it to “my 2-year-old throwing a fit.”
Rays manager Kevin Cash was also suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount by Michael Hill, the senior vice president for on-field operations at Major League Baseball.
Cash’s suspension was to take effect during Wednesday night’s game in Philadelphia. If Uceta decides to appeal to MLB special assistant John McHale Jr., the suspension would be put on hold until the appeal is resolved.
Uceta entered the game in the eighth inning with the score tied at 4-4 and runners on second and third with one out.
Cal Stevenson hit a two-run double, Buddy Kennedy added an RBI single, Trea Turner hit a two-run homer, and Bryce Harper got his third double of the game.
The next pitch hit Castellanos near his left hip, causing him to point at Uceta and shout as the benches cleared. Uceta was ejected by umpire crew chief James Hoye, who then warned both teams.
Castellanos, after the Phillies’ 9-4 victory, said, “You’re frustrated and you’re going to throw at somebody. That’s like my 2-year-old throwing a fit because I take away his dessert before he’s finished.”
Castellanos has been hit by pitches nine times this season and 49 times in his career.
“I got into the box, I wasn’t even swinging because I felt there was a chance that that could happen and it happened. I think that he was just (angry) that his numbers got messed up,” Castellanos added.
The Philadelphia Phillies were fired up after Nick Castellanos was hit by a 96 MPH fastball during Tuesday night’s win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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Rays reliever Edwin Uceta plunked Castellanos after giving up a home run, two doubles, and a single in the eighth inning of the Phillies’ 9-4 win. The game was tied 4-4 before Uceta took the mound. Benches immediately cleared and All-Star Bryce Harper, who was on second base after hitting a double, came up behind Uceta before being pulled away by a Rays player.
After the game, Castellanos compared Uceta to a toddler throwing a tantrum and that he wasn’t surprised he was hit by the pitch.
“Yeah, I just told him that it was bulls***,” Castellanos said, via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. “I mean, you’re throwing a baseball over 90 mph. You’re frustrated and you’re going to throw at somebody? You know? That’s like my 2-year-old throwing a fit because I take away his dessert before he’s finished.”
Harper told reporters after the game he was “really upset” with what happened to Castellanos.
“He [Uceta] didn’t turn around, and I didn’t want to be a loser and come up behind him,” Harper said. “If he’s going to turn around, then all right, let’s go. But he never turned around, so I didn’t want to … I’ll keep saying loser. I didn’t want to be a loser. There’s another word I want to use, but I won’t. But I didn’t want to be a loser. That wouldn’t have been right. If he was facing me, then all right.”
