Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos received a two-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for "aggressive actions and for instigating a benches-clearing incident" during the fourth inning Saturday.
The suspension was scheduled to begin Monday, but Castellanos is appealing the suspension. He is eligible to play until the appeal process is completed.
In addition to Castellanos – he was the only player ejected – five other players received undisclosed fines: Eugenio Suárez, Jesse Winker, St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.
Michael Hill, Major League Baseball’s senior VP for on-field operations, made the announcement.
"I am disappointed that Nick was suspended even though he did not initiate physical contact," Reds manager David Bell said in a statement. "I am hopeful that when baseball is played with emotion, the players will be protected from dangerous and unnecessary retaliation."
More: Nick Castellanos ejected in benches-clearing incident: 'I'm not here to disrespect nobody'
Castellanos was hit by a 92-mph fastball from Jake Woodford in the ribs with two outs and nobody on base in the fourth inning. He skipped out of the batter's box after hitting a two-run homer in the previous game and tossed his bat, so he wondered if it was intentional.
“It’s possible, you know," Castellanos said Saturday night. "I’m swinging good right now. I feel good. There are two outs, there’s nobody on, 'hey, let’s try to shake them up a little bit. Get him off his game.' I know how it works, it’s baseball. I’m not here complaining about it. The only thing I can do is do anything I can to score.”
Castellanos briefly stared at the mound after he was hit by the pitch and he asked Molina if it was an accident. Molina responded, "of course," which Castellanos said he accepted. Castellanos then held up the baseball and asked Woodford if he wanted it back, which some Cardinals players saw as a disrespectful gesture.
“I mean, look, I wore 93 (mph) in the ribs," Castellanos said. "That don’t exactly feel good, you know? I asked Yadi if it was an accident. He said, ‘of course, it’s an accident. All right, Yadi is dude. Yadi is a boss. All right, I give him the benefit of the doubt. All right, it’s an accident.
"I take my stuff off. I even asked the pitcher if he wanted the ball back. Sometimes pitchers, he’s coasting, I don’t know. I go to first and the only thing I’m thinking about is scoring.”
Two batters later, Castellanos scored on a wild pitch as Woodford fell onto his back trying to apply the tag. Castellanos stood up, flexed and shouted, "Let's (expletive) go!" He began to walk away when Molina touched the back of Castellanos' neck, which prompted the benches to clear. Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux was the first one out of either dugout.
No punches appeared to be thrown, but there was some pushing and shoving around home plate. There was some additional pushing in the outfield when pitchers were walking back to the bullpen.
Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said before Sunday's game that he didn't anticipate anything more than fines for his players.
The league's health and safety protocols during COVID-19 say that players who come within six feet of each other "for the purpose of argument or engage in altercations on the field are subject to immediate ejection and discipline, including fines and suspensions"
"My expectation is there is nothing game-related," Shildt said Sunday morning. "They'll have their opinion. We'll have ours. My understanding is I don't think this will be anything related to games, nor should it. If it's monetary based on protocol being broke, we'll do our part to be responsible for whatever that looks like."
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