Punishments handed out by Major League Baseball have been under the microscope during this unique season, so a lot of eyes were on how the league would respond to Sunday's benches-clearing incident between Houston and Oakland.
Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron has been suspended 20 games and fined an undisclosed amount for his role , while A's outfielder Ramon Laureano has been suspended for 6 games, as announced by MLB Senior Vice President of Player Operations Chris Young. Laureano has elected to appeal and remains available to the Athletics.
The incident occurred in the 7th inning of the finale of a three-game set between these two teams. After being hit for the second time that game (third time in the series), Laureano gestured towards the Astros dugout and exchanged words with Cintron before he rushed in their direction, causing benches to empty.
"I regret charging him because he's a loser," Laureano told ESPN. "At the end of the day, I'm here to win a World Series with the Oakland Athletics."
Laureano also told ESPN that Cintron said something negative about his mother, a claim the Astros hitting coach has denied. It is the second on-field incident Houston has been involved in so far this season, following a controversy in late July that led to Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly being suspended for 8 games.
The 20-game suspension for Cintron is equal to a third of the shortened 60-game schedule this season, in accordance with the MLB's 2020 operations manual which states "discipline shall not be reduced or prorated based on the length of the season."
Cintron's 20-game ban, the longest for a coach since Juan Samuel's 15-game ban in 2000, begins immediately.
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Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron receives 20-game suspension for benches-clearing incident originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
