New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia has been suspended five games and fined an undisclosed amount for his actions in Thursday’s contest against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Major League Baseball announced the penalties Saturday, two days after Sabathia was ejected for plunking Rays catcher Jesus Sucre in apparent retaliation.
Sabathia has decided to appeal the suspension, which was scheduled to be served at the beginning of the 2019 season.
“I’m fine with it,” Sabathia said after Saturday’s 8-5 Yankees win over the Boston Red Sox. “I knew something was going to come down.”
Tampa Bay right-hander Andrew Kittredge also was suspended three games and fined for throwing a pitch behind the head of Yankees catcher Austin Romine. As Romine was on the ground, Sabathia emerged from the Yankees’ dugout and yelled in Kittredge’s direction.
Sabathia’s yelling resumed in the bottom of the inning, and he was ejected after his very first pitch of the inning plunked Sucre. As he was walking off the mound following the ejection, Sabathia turned toward the Rays dugout, pointed and shouted: “That was for you, b—-.”
It was unclear toward whom he was specifically directing his anger. Then, a few feet from the Yankees’ dugout, Sabathia made a motion toward his crotch as he glanced back at the Rays dugout.
Sabathia said it “kinda” bothered him that Kittredge only got a three-game suspension while he received five.
“Hopefully it gets knocked down,” Sabathia said of his own suspension. “We have the whole winter to appeal, and see what happens. I don’t know how that process goes. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Thursday’s ejection came as Sabathia cruised into the sixth inning with a one-hitter. He hadn’t even hit the 60-pitch mark. It was likely he was going to make it through the seventh inning, and had he done so, the 38-year-old would have earned a $500,000 incentive bonus tied to the amount of innings he has pitched this season.
Because of the ejection, he was two innings shy of the bonus. The Yankees could give Sabathia an opportunity to get some work in Sunday’s regular-season finale to get to the innings mark, but he doesn’t want that chance.
“Nah, man. The season’s over,” Sabathia said, laughing. “The season’s over for me. I’m ready for the lights to come on.”
The Yankees will host the Oakland Athletics in Wednesday’s American League wild-card game.