The New York Mets brawl with the St. Louis Cardinals included two ejections from the home team. Will anybody get suspended?
The New York Mets had seen enough. In each series this season, opposing pitchers seem to find a way to hit them. They’re getting plunked left and right. Finally, in Wednesday’s finale against the St. Louis Cardinals, things boiled over and the two clubs cleared the benches.
Oddly enough, it wasn’t even after a hit by pitch that summoned everyone from the bullpen. Following a J.D. Davis hit by pitch in the top of the eighth which forced him out of the game, the Mets went out for retribution in the bottom part of the inning. Reliever Yoan Lopez delivered a pitch up and in to third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Arenado took umbrage with it. A donnybrook ensued.
Here’s that full benches-clearing sequence. You can see Cardinals coach Stubby Clapp throwing Pete Alonso to the ground around the 0:24 mark. pic.twitter.com/sTgo1hyvY4
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 27, 2022
Arenado and Cardinals coach Stubby Clapp were both ejected. The pitcher, Lopez, was not. Now everyone waits to find out the answer to the question: who’s getting suspended?
No Mets players or Cardinals players should get suspended but one person should
None of the players involved in this altercation should get suspended. Yep. All of that chaos and no one should miss a game. However, there are two players who could.
Lopez is one candidate to get suspended. However, he wasn’t even ejected so to suspend him wouldn’t make much sense at all. Umpires are protected like crazy and giving him a suspension would make their decision to let him continue on look pretty poor. Plus, with the Mets getting hit several times already in the series, it doesn’t make much sense at all for him to be the lone scapegoat after three games of battered and bruised Mets hitters. And even if he does end up suspended, let’s keep in mind that he was getting sent to the minors soon anyway with Taijuan Walker set to return.
On the St. Louis side of things, Arenado should escape without a suspension, too. He let his emotions get the best of him. However, to suspend him is a step too far. He did, after all, almost get a pitch to the chin. Because he helped instigate and was tossed from the game, a short suspension could always happen.
One person who looks likeliest to get suspended is Clapp, the first base coach. Seen throwing Mets first baseman Pete Alonso to the ground during the fray, a one-game suspension is certainly understandable. It won’t hurt the Cardinals much in their attempt to win. Someone else can coach first base for an evening. When it comes to who should or shouldn’t get suspended in an average benches-clearing brawl, the physicality matters a lot.
What players and coaches say afterward can always affect who gets suspended and for how long. Take some notes from Buck Showalter. This is how you move on.
