Overview
- Wednesday night, reliever Gabe Speier threw two inside fastballs at Detroit’s Gleyber Torres and struck him on the upper left leg with a 96.3 mph pitch, prompting benches and bullpens to clear and Speier’s ejection.
- Major League Baseball announced a three-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for Speier on Thursday as discipline for an intentional pitch.
- Speier appealed the suspension through the MLB Players Association, which places the ban in abeyance while the appeal is pending.
- Mariners manager Dan Wilson received a one-game suspension that he could not appeal and served immediately, with bench coach Manny Acta filling in for the team.
- The ruling carries short-term effects for Seattle because ejections force teams to play short in-game and clubs commonly time or drop appeals to convert held suspensions into shorter served bans when a pitcher's workload makes it practical.