Joe Kelly’s Suspension Is A New And Overdue Precedent Set By MLB

Major League Baseball just set a precedent, and it would be wise to not drop it after this.

After Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly buzzed Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman and missed with another pitch behind the back of shortstop Carlos Correa, tensions were high. After Kelly struck out Correa and jawed at him, followed by both benches and bullpens clearing for some more chatter – and minus social distancing – the league decided this is where it would draw the line.

Never mind years of legitimate headhunting, fastballs that actually connected with flesh or helmets or padding or the fights it’s led to. On Wednesday, MLB decided it was suspending Kelly for eight games. For precedent’s sake, that’s the equivalent to about 22 games in a 162-game season.

That is an unheard-of suspension for a pitcher who didn’t hit a batter. The league said Kelly’s history also played into the length, and he is obviously appealing. It’s also possible the league wants to put a quick stop to anyone else thinking about retaliating against the Astros for their 2017 cheating scandal, for which no players were suspended in exchange for cooperating with MLB’s investigation.

“Retaliation in-game by throwing at a batter intentionally will not be tolerated,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said during the offseason. “Whether it’s Houston or anybody else, it’s dangerous, and it is not helpful to the current situation.”

Whatever the league’s motives are – changing the story away from the Miami Marlins’ COVID-19 outbreak is a massive plus – this is a new precedent and one the league should continue to uphold. This should not just be a statement only because of the coronavirus pandemic, but one that has lasting effect, because pitchers throwing at batters has long been a completely ridiculous antic. 

As we move into the next normal season, MLB should continue to punish pitchers for intentionally throwing at hitters. It’s a risky act with potentially dire consequences. This is a good look by the league, but the timing is certainly curious.

The jawing from Kelly was not unprovoked. Before Bregman or Correa stepped into the batter’s box, Kelly was screamed at from the Astros dugout and was called a “m——-f——-.” The audio is not perfect, but that yelling voice sounds like Astros manager Dusty Baker. So it’s quite possible this all started as a reaction to that, and not Houston’s cheating saga.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was also suspended one game, and Baker was fined an undisclosed amount. 

It didn’t take long after Kelly’s suspension was announced – minutes, in fact – for the phrase “So, Joe Kelly” to be trending on Twitter. It was in reference to so many tweets starting with the phrase, “So, Joe Kelly is suspended for eight games,” and ending with a variation of, “but none of the Astros players get suspended for cheating to win a World Series?”

Again, Astros players were spared suspensions for cooperation. That’s was a precedent the league set, and as the fallout from the scandal continues, Kelly’s suspension is another one.

Ideally, it won’t be limited to who was involved – Kelly with his history or the Astros, who Manfred tried to proactively protect. The harsher MLB is on guys throwing at hitters, the sooner the stupidity will stop. Players will adapt and on-field justice will find new ways.

If there’s a lasting effect on the game from this latest faux fight, hopefully it’s the beginning of the end for retaliation fastballs.