Angels' Ramirez, Ausmus suspended after Astros' Marisnick hit by pitch
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Noe Ramirez was handed a three-game suspension for intentionally throwing at the head of Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick in Tuesday's game, and Angels manager Brad Ausmus received a one-game ban, Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday.
Ausmus will serve his suspension Wednesday, with Josh Paul acting as manager in his absence, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.
Ausmus said the suspension surprised him, but he was forced to accept it because managers - unlike players - aren't allowed to appeal, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.
Ramirez will appeal the punishment, and he'll be available to pitch on Wednesday.
"Didn't necessarily like it but it is what is," Ramirez told Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times.
Ramirez sailed a pitch behind Marisnick in the sixth inning, hitting him in the shoulder area as he tried to duck out of the way. There were no ejections, but warnings were issued to both teams.
Both benches and bullpens then nearly cleared after Angels first baseman Albert Pujols exchanged words with the Astros' dugout. However, order was quickly restored.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Tuesday's incident came less than two weeks after Marisnick injured Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy in a violent home-plate collision. Marisnick received a two-game suspension for the play, and the Southern California native was greeted with boos during each of his at-bats at Angel Stadium on Tuesday.
After the game, Astros manager A.J. Hinch wasn't pleased with the Angels, and he hinted that his team might look to retaliate if MLB didn't levy discipline.
"Wasn't everybody expecting something to happen to Jake tonight?" Hinch said, according to The Associated Press. "I mean, the entire industry was probably expecting it. Our guy got suspended for an unintentional act, and they got a free shot. I feel bad for players nowadays. There's a lot of gray area in what to do."
Including Wednesday, the Angels and Astros are scheduled to face off 12 more times during the regular season.