Skip to content

Report: Players don't want harsher penalties for throwing at hitters

Icon Sportswire / Getty

Don't expect headhunting pitchers to receive harsher discipline for their actions anytime soon.

Talk of imposing stricter punishment on retaliatory pitchers reached fervent levels over the weekend after Boston Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes attempted to drill Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado in the head for his slide Friday on Dustin Pedroia.

While some questioned the four-game suspension given to Barnes, it may be the most Major League Baseball hands a hurler in the near future as players reportedly don't want stronger penalties for dangerous pitches, sources told FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

Related: It's time to erase the unwritten rules of baseball

Barnes' four-game ban was based on precedent: Jose Ramirez and Ross Ohlendorf were both given three-game suspensions last season for throwing at batters (though Ohlendorf's was erased after winning his appeal).

The players association, meanwhile, expects future punishments to be handled in a similar manner while they also endorsed the players' ability to resolve their matters on the field.

"Balls do get away from pitchers and banging a guy 20 games for that is pretty onerous - until someone comes up with a way of reading the pitcher’s mind to determine intent," a union official told Rosenthal. "It is always a delicate proposition at best to make assumptions as to intent.

"As a result, the players being able to address it on the field still has value as those involved work through a particular on-field issue."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox