Castellanos Suspended

[Joey Blotto]

What did he do?

[Edskin]

Let’s not be disingenuous. He didn’t just “show emotion” — he blatantly taunted another player directly in the players face. Literally flexed over/at him while the player was down on the ground. It was 100% taunting. I personally don’t have a huge issue with that either, but framing it the same way you’d frame a guy being excited about having just hit a HR is a little disingenuous.

NC was doing a figurative and literal flex. He was showing out for himself and his team. He was stirring things up on purpose. Now, he PROBABLY got plunked on purpose too so I understand why he felt the need to go to Flex City. But that’s what he was doing. The issue for MLB is this— we can see that NC’s actions led to some shenanigans. That’s right there on tape. But they CAN’T discipline a pitcher every time he hits someone because intent is hard to prove unless it’s obvious. Then you can say a pitcher was throwing on purpose any time he hits a guy who homered the day before or is having a big series or did a little trot the last time they played, etc. In other words, MLB can reasonably say NC’s flexing led to benches clearing. They really can’t pinpoint it with a plunking.

Now, my issue is that Molina should have been disciplined as well for sure. He laid his hands on an opposing player. If you feel the need to suspend instigators then NC and Molina should both be suspended— the instigator and the immediate retaliator.

Personally, I’m good with ALL of it. I like HR dances, bat flips, and trash talk. And I also don’t mind pitchers plunking guys (assuming below shoulders) for breaking some of the unwritten rules. I think it’s fun. I like a machismo. It’s an alpha male type deal and it’s one place where it’s kinda OK to engage in silliness like that. I hope they never fully legislate plunking guys out of the game and I hope they encourage more emotion to be displayed. Makes it fun.

[JFLegal]

Castellanos's suspension was upheld. He will begin serving it tomorrow.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...pension-denied

what a crock of ... you know what.

between stuff like this and MLB doing everything they can to prevent people from watching games on TV or via live streams, MLB is its own worst enemy.

[Joey Blotto]

Let’s not be disingenuous. He didn’t just “show emotion” — he blatantly taunted another player directly in the players face. Literally flexed over/at him while the player was down on the ground. It was 100% taunting. I personally don’t have a huge issue with that either, but framing it the same way you’d frame a guy being excited about having just hit a HR is a little disingenuous.

NC was doing a figurative and literal flex. He was showing out for himself and his team. He was stirring things up on purpose. Now, he PROBABLY got plunked on purpose too so I understand why he felt the need to go to Flex City. But that’s what he was doing. The issue for MLB is this— we can see that NC’s actions led to some shenanigans. That’s right there on tape. But they CAN’T discipline a pitcher every time he hits someone because intent is hard to prove unless it’s obvious. Then you can say a pitcher was throwing on purpose any time he hits a guy who homered the day before or is having a big series or did a little trot the last time they played, etc. In other words, MLB can reasonably say NC’s flexing led to benches clearing. They really can’t pinpoint it with a plunking.

Now, my issue is that Molina should have been disciplined as well for sure. He laid his hands on an opposing player. If you feel the need to suspend instigators then NC and Molina should both be suspended— the instigator and the immediate retaliator.

Personally, I’m good with ALL of it. I like HR dances, bat flips, and trash talk. And I also don’t mind pitchers plunking guys (assuming below shoulders) for breaking some of the unwritten rules. I think it’s fun. I like a machismo. It’s an alpha male type deal and it’s one place where it’s kinda OK to engage in silliness like that. I hope they never fully legislate plunking guys out of the game and I hope they encourage more emotion to be displayed. Makes it fun.

I will never get this mentality where doing a dance that hurts someone's feelings is worse than throwing a baseball at someone.

[Strikes Out Looking]

I don't think the issue is necessarily that Castellanos was suspended, its more that Molina was not (again).

[Edskin]

I will never get this mentality where doing a dance that hurts someone's feelings is worse than throwing a baseball at someone.

Who said that? Not me.

I said I enjoy the machismo and unwritten rules aspect of the game. It’s totally silly, but I love it. I wasn’t ranking the various “offenses.”

[M2]

Free St. Nick!

[The Operator]

Absurd but not at all surprising. Rob Manfred is an absolute clown that is actively doing everything he can to ruin baseball.


Somewhere at a used car lot in Milwaukee Bud Selig is singing “how ya like me now?!?”.

[marcshoe]

I think I'll leave this here.

[bm1475]

I think I'll leave this here.

Yadi is the one who decides the protocol. If Yadi does it, then it must be fine to do.

[Ron Madden]

Rachel Luba, the agent who represents Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer among others, responded via Twitter on Monday to the decision to uphold Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos' two-game suspension, calling it "the biggest joke of all time" and asking Major League Baseball, "Are you kidding me?"

Bauer, who won the National League Cy Young Award for the Reds and was Castellanos' teammate in 2020, criticized the suspension earlier this month when MLB announced it, and retweeted Luba's tweet Monday with an additional "#freecastellanos."

Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer 20 mins ago

[15fan]

Thank goodness Brad Leslie doesn’t pitch now. He’d get suspended after every appearance.

[davereds24]

No way the best hitter for the yankees, red sox or dodgers gets 2 games. That's the issue.

[GAC]

I will never get this mentality where doing a dance that hurts someone's feelings is worse than throwing a baseball at someone.

Exactly!

I don't see batter's getting upset (emotional) when they K, wanting to charge the mound because the pitcher made them look bad. And what about a pitcher who does the fist pump when they K a batter?

There's definitely a huge difference between watching an MLB game and an NFL game (lol). I think both of these leagues, IMO, are examples of extremes from both ends of the spectrum. I think what the NFL allows is too excessive. While MLB strains at a gnat. One's Thunderdome, and the other is a Quaker Meeting.

IMO, this particular scuffle was pretty low key. Were there any punches thrown at all? Anyone physically hurt? After all was said and done, each team went back to their respective corners (dugout), and it was over. MLB takes the position that they HAVE to take some sort of disciplinary action. OK. Taking all the circumstances into account (beginning with Castellanos getting HBP), and what did and did not happen, and IMO I would have fined everyone, along with a warning that future occurences could result in suspension and fine. Move on.

[MoneyInTheBank]

Let’s not be disingenuous. He didn’t just “show emotion” — he blatantly taunted another player directly in the players face. Literally flexed over/at him while the player was down on the ground. It was 100% taunting. I personally don’t have a huge issue with that either, but framing it the same way you’d frame a guy being excited about having just hit a HR is a little disingenuous.

NC was doing a figurative and literal flex. He was showing out for himself and his team. He was stirring things up on purpose. Now, he PROBABLY got plunked on purpose too so I understand why he felt the need to go to Flex City. But that’s what he was doing. The issue for MLB is this— we can see that NC’s actions led to some shenanigans. That’s right there on tape. But they CAN’T discipline a pitcher every time he hits someone because intent is hard to prove unless it’s obvious. Then you can say a pitcher was throwing on purpose any time he hits a guy who homered the day before or is having a big series or did a little trot the last time they played, etc. In other words, MLB can reasonably say NC’s flexing led to benches clearing. They really can’t pinpoint it with a plunking.

Now, my issue is that Molina should have been disciplined as well for sure. He laid his hands on an opposing player. If you feel the need to suspend instigators then NC and Molina should both be suspended— the instigator and the immediate retaliator.

Personally, I’m good with ALL of it. I like HR dances, bat flips, and trash talk. And I also don’t mind pitchers plunking guys (assuming below shoulders) for breaking some of the unwritten rules. I think it’s fun. I like a machismo. It’s an alpha male type deal and it’s one place where it’s kinda OK to engage in silliness like that. I hope they never fully legislate plunking guys out of the game and I hope they encourage more emotion to be displayed. Makes it fun.

The bold and underlined portion is where we diverge. Doling out punishment to the "instigator" based on the reaction to the taunting is totally unacceptable. Castellanos' ACTIONS warranted a fine, at worst. If there had been no subsequent "shenanigans", he doesn't get suspended.