Benches cleared between the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Tuesday. Tigers lefty Framber Valdez gave up back-to-back home runs to Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu, then hit Trevor Story up high with a 94 mph fastball on the first pitch of his at-bat. Story understandably took exception, and the benches cleared.
“Yes, I do think (it was intentional),” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy stated about Valdez hitting Story (via the Boston Herald).” I thought it was weak, and I thought everybody saw it. Their side, our side, I think everybody saw it. And yeah, it was weak.”
“It was not intentional. It was not on purpose. It might look like that, but it wasn’t,” Valdez stated through an interpreter after the game. “… I consider (the ejection) completely unfair given that, first of all, they should have given me a warning. And of course if it was on purpose, then I do it a second time or a third time, of course, I’m getting ejected.”
Only Valdez can know his true intentions, but the league saw enough to suspend him for six games and levy an undisclosed fine. That suspension was then reduced to five games on appeal and will be served beginning Wednesday night, which means Valdez will miss his scheduled start against the Royals on Sunday. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was also suspended for one game and fined.
Valdez was having a rough night: he gave up back-to-back homers, then he took it out on Story. If nothing else, suspicion is warranted. Here’s the entire sequence:
“I understand,” Hinch stated about the incident (via MLB.com). “I understand the frustration. I understand the optics. I understand the whole thing.”
Valdez, who’s in his first year in Detroit, was the only player ejected from Tuesday’s game. If MLB determines he hit Story intentionally, he will be suspended. The Tigers are already without Casey Mize (groin), Reese Olson (shoulder), Tarik Skubal (elbow), and Justin Verlander (hip). They can ill-afford to lose Valdez for even one start.
The Red Sox tagged Valdez for 10 runs (seven earned) on nine hits and one walk in three innings. Prior to Tuesday, Valdez had never surrendered more than eight runs in a game. Boston went on to win the game 10-3 (box score).
As a member of the Houston Astros last September, Valdez denied intentionally crossing up his catcher after surrendering a grand slam. He ignored the catcher’s signal to step off and instead threw a fastball to his chest.
