Back in spring training, when the sign-stealing revelations were new and the wounds fresh, the Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood made a prophetic point as he considered the possibility of taking revenge against Houston Astros players this season.
“Someone will take matters into their own hands,” said Wood, “and they will be suspended more than any of these guys for the biggest scandal in 100 years.”
Five months later, after the Dodgers were forced to face the Astros at an empty minute in Maid Park, Houston, Woods teammate fell victim to the cruel irony sparked by Major League Baseball’s decision to be the main culprit in the United States Grant immunity sign theft scandal.
Joe Kelly was suspended for eight games on Tuesday for his actions, despite not hitting anyone – with a fist or a baseball – and never being thrown out. The penalty seems to be extremely tough compared to a season with 60 games. Eight games account for more than 13% and correspond to a 22-game ban in a 162-game season.
In the past 10 years, no player has been banned from more than 20 games for an offense not related to performance-enhancing drugs, recreational drugs, substance abuse, domestic violence, or identity fraud in the case of Juan Carlos Oviedo.
When Kelly was punished, MLB referred to the 3-0 fastball at 96 mph behind the head of Alex Bregman (Astros manager Dusty Baker was certain that this was intended) and the mockery towards Carlos Correa (Baker said Kelly shouted: “Nice Swing, b– -“). MLB also referred to previous suspicions of “deliberate throwing,” particularly an incident in April 2018 when Kelly was suspended six games for plunking and fighting New York Yankees infielder Tyler Austin. In other words, Kelly got two games less – in an almost three times longer season – for an incident that triggered far more violence.
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Dodger’s pitcher Joe Kelly dusted Alex Bregman off the plate, and after Kelly Carlos Correa knocked out, the two exchanged words as the Astros and Dodgers benches became free.
Another important reason was not mentioned in the MLB publication, but was obvious to practically everyone. It was about what Kelly’s actions led to: players from both teams gathering and gathering in bulk on the pitch, some without a mask, just a day after the Miami Marlins experienced a COVID 19 outbreak that for one as many people logistical nightmare was considered five teams.
Dave Roberts, manager of Dodgers, who was banned for a game and served it immediately, spoke to league officials Wednesday morning and said they were “not pleased” that the strict protocols of their over 100-page operating manual were fundamentally ignored due to adrenaline.
“We are under the microscope,” said Roberts, “what we should be.”
The biggest cause of the Dodgers’ public anger towards the Astros was – apart from the overarching feeling that they were cheated out of the 2017 World Series – the lack of punishment for the players for a clearly player-oriented program. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he had to offer immunity in exchange for an open, honest testimony and that it was too difficult to impose penalties for violations that occurred in the secret of a clubhouse.
But Dodger’s players – and countless others in the league – were upset about injustice in a wider context.
That one of her most important bullpen pieces was given such a severe punishment for allegedly responding to a baseball crime that several others believed it was “worse than steroids” was likely to only exacerbate the Dodgers’ anger.
However, Kelly is suddenly a folk hero in LA after being slandered last season for the same unpredictable pitching that triggered all of this. A popular fan group, Dodgers Nation, has already printed t-shirts to celebrate Kelly’s facial contortions. The Fox Theater in Bakersfield, California wrote “Thank you Joe Kelly” on his marquee. Players like Los Angeles Angels helper Keynan Middleton and New York Mets starter Marcus Stroman expressed their support on social media and provided further evidence that the rest of the league is still resentful about the Astros.
Kelly informed the league on Wednesday afternoon that he would appeal his ban, but he was not needed later that night. Eight more reliefs together enabled an inexperienced run over 9 2/3 innings, which allowed the Dodgers to sweep in the two-game series.
Edwin Rios, the rookie corner infielder who scored the winning goal with a home run in the 13th inning, was asked if he felt any additional intensity from his teammates in this series.
“A thousand percent.”
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