MLB concludes Tigers did not intentionally hit umpire with pitch

Following an investigation, Major League Baseball announced Friday that it has concluded Detroit Tigers pitcher Buck Farmer did not hit home-plate umpire Quinn Wolcott with a pitch on purpose during Wednesday's game in Cleveland.

"MLB takes seriously the safety of on-field personnel - players, coaches, and umpires alike - and has thoroughly reviewed the incident," the league's statement reads, per MLB.com's Jason Beck. "Upon completion of that review, chief baseball officer Joe Torre has concluded that no Tigers player intended for the pitch to hit umpire Wolcott, and therefore no discipline will be issued."

Ausmus told Beck that he spoke with Torre by phone after Wednesday's game, and said Torre "seemed to understand" the situation.

On Wednesday, Farmer hit Wolcott in the chest with an ill-timed errant pitch mere moments after he had ejected Ausmus and catcher James McCann for arguing balls and strikes. Following the game, Ausmus was angered by some insinuations that the pitch was intentional.

Related - Ausmus: 'Out of line' to suggest Tigers intentionally hit umpire with pitch

Tigers backup catcher John Hicks, who was behind the plate for the incident after McCann had been tossed, questioned why the incident had to be investigated in the first place.

"My question for them (MLB) would be: if this was on purpose and I just came into the game, when did me and Buck plan this out?" Hicks told Chris McCosky of the Detroit News on Friday.

The Tigers ultimately lost Wednesday's game to the Indians by a score of 5-3.