The punishment is in for Orioles infielder Manny Machado for his role in Tuesday’s brawl with the Kansas City Royals.
The 23-year-old will receive a four-game suspension and $2,500 fine for charging the mound and punching Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura, who was suspended nine games and fined for hitting Machado in the ribs with a 99 mph fastball in the fifth inning and had twice thrown inside to the shortstop in the previous at-bat. Both benches emptied before order was restored and both Machado and Ventura were ejected from the game.
Machado will appeal the suspension and was in Thursday’s lineup as the Orioles began a four-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Veteran center fielder Adam Jones said after Tuesday’s game that he intended to pay Machado’s fine, a clear show of support for his teammate’s actions.
It’s not the first time that Machado has been disciplined by Major League Baseball as he was suspended five games for throwing a bat two years ago in a weekend-long conflict with the Oakland Athletics. Unlike that incident, however, Machado’s actions on Tuesday have generally been viewed with more understanding while Ventura has been perceived as the main culprit.
