Yesterday's little fracas in the ninth inning between the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins wasn't harmless, after all. Several were worried that throwing pitches at players and ejections might result in suspensions. And the MLB offices did not disappoint.
Jeremy Bonderman has been suspended for three games for plunking Delmon Young in the leg with a pitch. Bondo will appeal, however, which probably means that he'll be serving his penalty sometime next season.
But the pitcher who arguably started the hostilities (especially among his own teammates), Jose Mijares, was only penalized with a fine. No suspension for him.
I suppose you could argue that he didn't actually hit anyone, but Mijares did prompt a warning to both teams from home plate umpire Angel Hernandez when he threw a pitch behind Adam Everett in the eighth.
That warning, by the way, is why Lloyd McClendon was handed a one-game suspension. McClendon was the acting manager at the time of the plunking (Jim Leyland had been ejected after Hernandez issued his warning), and since an official warning was given, the penalty is automatic.
Leyland and Gerald Laird were also fined, along with Bonderman and McClendon.