La Russa, Wright suspended for hitting Ohtani
Tony La Russa will serve his one-game suspension on Saturday, while pitcher Mike Wright will appeal his three-game ban for hitting…
Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Wright has been suspended three games and manager Tony La Russa for one on Saturday by Major League Baseball, which concluded Wright intentionally threw at Angels slugger Shohei Ohtani on Thursday.
Wright appealed the suspension issued by Michael Hill, who is MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations. The discipline will be held in abeyance until the appeal is decided by MLB special adviser John McHale Jr.
Manager suspensions are served immediately, and La Russa sat out Chicago’s game at Texas on Saturday. Bench coach Miguel Cairo ran the dugout in La Russa’s absence.
Wright was ejected from Thursday’s 9-3 loss after hitting Ohtani in the calf with a pitch with two outs and nobody on in the ninth. La Russa also was ejected — his third this season — by crew chief Bill Welke for arguing.
“It wasn’t intentional,” La Russa said Thursday. “[Welke] read it wrong. It wasn’t consistent with No. 1, the way they treated the three hit by pitches. Secondly, where was our retaliation?”
White Sox batters Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert and Jose Abreu were hit by Angels pitchers in Tuesday’s game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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