The two-game suspension Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto received for lashing out at umpire Bill Welke after being ejected from last Wednesday's game was reduced Friday to one game following an appeal from the four-time All-Star.
Votto - who remained in the lineup for each of the last four games while appealing his two-game ban - will serve his suspension Friday when his club opens a series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
The 32-year-old also received an undisclosed fine for the incident, which, according to Votto, was precipitated by Welke's refusal to grant him a timeout during his eighth inning at-bat in an eventual 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Votto, though, maintained he never bumped Welke during his tirade.
"Did I overreact? Yeah, I did overreact," Votto told reporters last Friday. "But I felt so compelled and was in such an intense place. Who's to decide how angry I'm allowed to get as long as I follow the rules? I didn't touch him."
Votto, the National League MVP in 2010, owns a 1.011 OPS (176 OPS+) with 27 home runs and 32 doubles in 143 games this season, hitting .374/.558/.665 since the All-Star break.
