Manfred: 'Unfair' to Astros to suspend Gurriel in World Series

Deeming it "unfair" to the rest of the Houston Astros to suspend Yuli Gurriel during the World Series, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has announced that the five-game suspension the 33-year-old received for the racist gesture he directed to Yu Darvish in Game 3 on Friday will take effect at the outset of the 2018 season.

"I understand that people might have different views," Manfred told reporters ahead of Game 4 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park. "There is no question that it is a difficult decision as to when the right timing was ... I used my best judgment."

In addition to his desire not to unfairly punish the Astros, Manfred provided three other reasons to as how he arrived at the decision to defer Gurriel's suspension until 2018.

Firstly, Manfred said, he wanted Gurriel's suspension to result in the loss of salary (excluding bonus payouts, players don't get paid in October, receiving the entirety of their salary over the course of the six-month regular season). Manfred also cited Darvish's expressed desire to move forward, and felt pushing Gurriel's suspension to next year was the best way to do that. Finally, deferring the suspension would allow Gurriel to exercise his grievance rights, though the MLBPA has already announced he will not appeal the decision.

"There is complete unanimity – me, my office, both owners, both clubs, and the (union) -that there is no place in our game for the behavior like we witnessed last night," Manfred added. "There is no explanation that makes that type of behavior excusable."