Baltimore Orioles All-Star Manny Machado and Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura have been suspended for their roles in a fight during a game on June 7.
On Saturday, MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan reported Ventura dropped his appeal of the decision and will serve an eight-game suspension. Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reported the ban will begin on Saturday and noted it is one game less than the initial nine-game suspension.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported the news of Machado's four-game ban on June 9 and added MLB fined the shortstop $2,500. Today's Knuckleball's Jon Heyman initially relayed word of Ventura's ban.
Yahoo Sports' Big League Stew posted MLB's official statement:
Yahoo Sports MLB @MLByahoosportsYordano Ventura gets nine-game suspension for brawl. Manny Machado, as previously reported, gets four.
In the bottom of the fifth inning of the game on June 9, a 9-1 Baltimore win, Ventura plunked Machado with a 99 mph fastball, per Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan. The pitch sent Machado into a rage, and he proceeded to charge the mound and punch Ventura in the face:
The fight was essentially over when they tackled each other to the ground, but they were both ejected.
"I don't regret anything," Machado said after the game, per ESPN.com's Eddie Matz. "It's part of the game. Reactions fly. When somebody's throwing 99 at you, it's going to hurt. You can ruin someone's career. You don't think in that situation. You just react to it."
Ventura had almost hit Machado in a prior at-bat during the second inning, per Matz, which was part of what led to the altercation.
The 25-year-old pitcher has struggled during the 2016 campaign, posting a 4-4 record with a 5.32 ERA thus far, whereas Machado has thrived with a slash line of .303/.375/.593, 15 home runs and 37 RBI.
Passan noted Ventura won't miss much game action even though the suspension is lofty:
Jeff Passan @JeffPassanThe nine-game suspension for Yordano Ventura will ultimately amount to just one missed start. Manny Machado gets a four-game suspension.
Although Machado plays a key position in the Orioles infield and is an exceptional power hitter, Baltimore has enough firepower on offense with players such as Adam Jones and Chris Davis to pick up the slack in his absence.
Orioles third baseman Ryan Flaherty is a versatile defender who could shift over to shortstop while Machado is out. That would open up a chance for Paul Janish to come off the bench and fill in at the hot corner.
But the hope is J.J. Hardy can return soon enough from a left foot fracture, which would further mitigate the temporary loss of Machado and allow him to eventually go back to his natural position at third.
