Astros reliever Bryan Abreu suspended 2 games for Adolis García HBP that sparked brawl in ALCS Game 5
García, Dusty Baker and two other players were also fined for the incident
If the Houston Astros want to close out the ALCS, they might have to do it without setup man Bryan Abreu.
MLB announced Saturday that it had suspended Abreu two games for "intentionally" throwing at Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis García, an incident that cleared benches in the eighth inning of the Astros' comeback win in Game 5. The suspension is effective immediately, unless Abreu opts to appeal. He also received an undisclosed fine.
García, who immediately confronted Astros catcher Martin Maldonado after being hit, was fined for his role in the conflict, as were Rangers reliever Matt Bush and Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. Astros manager Dusty Baker was also fined for his comments after the game.
Bryan Abreu-Adolis García brawl was controversial and had consequences
The incident in question occurred in the bottom of the eighth inning, two innings after García hit a three-run homer to take the lead and boisterously celebrated as he walked toward first base. With a runner on first and no outs, Abreu hit the All-Star slugger in the arm with a 99 mph fastball.
In the ensuing chaos, García had to be separated from Maldonado by home plate umpire Marvin Hudson as players on both teams shoved each other. Abreu was quickly ejected and later followed by García and Baker, who clearly disagreed with the decision to remove his pitcher.
Benches cleared 😳
(via @MLBONFOX)
pic.twitter.com/b6DfifpBj8— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 20, 2023
The Abreu ejection put the Astros in a tight spot, as they had to call in closer Ryan Pressly for a two-inning save with a runner already in scoring position. Pressly did his job, though, as did Jose Altuve, who hit a three-run homer to give the Astros a 3-2 series lead in dramatic fashion.
Given that Rangers closer Jose Leclerc entered in the top of the eighth inning and the whole brawl took more than 10 minutes of real time, the delay might've had real consequences for the Rangers.
After the game, opinions were predictably split on whether Abreu's HBP was intentional. The Astros, including Abreu and Baker, argued that it was an honest mistake, while the Rangers disagreed:
“Obviously, it was completely unintentional, one of those balls that just slipped out of his hand,” said Astros reliever Ryan Pressly, who came in to replace Abreu.
“I know he said it slipped, but if you go back and watch it, it looks like it slipped straight at Adolis,” Rangers third baseman Josh Jung said.
An intentional HBP in that situation would've been highly inadvisable, but the umpiring crew concluded that the Astros indeed did it on purpose:
“We had a conference among the six of us, and we decided that the pitch that Abreu threw was intentional on García,” crew chief James Hoye said. “We know it's the playoffs. We don't want to make a mistake in a situation like that. So we're going to make sure that everybody is on the same page, that we all felt the same way. And to a T, all of us felt like that pitch was intentional.”
Clearly, MLB agreed with its umpires.
Should Bryan Abreu appeal his suspension?
Abreu is one of the last players the Astros want to be without in critical games.
The right-hander's 1.75 ERA was the best mark in MLB this season among pitchers with at least 70 innings pitched. He didn't allow a run between July 15 and Game 3 of the ALCS, in which he gave up an RBI single to García in an 8-5 win. He's the strongest link of the Astros' three-headed monster for the late innings, between Hector Neris and Pressly.
Missing that arm would be a rough development for the Astros as they try to finish out the ALCS, in which they hold a 3-2 lead as the series goes back to Houston. The good news is Abreu can appeal and continue to play while the appeal is pending, though that could be a risky move.
Missing your elite setup man for two games, one of which you must win, is bad, but missing that player for two games in the World Series — should he appeal and lose — is potentially worse. Usually, players appeal suspensions because there's no reason not to put your case in front of an arbitrator, but that's not true in this situation.
