Major League Baseball has taken action against Houston Astros pitcher Bryan Abreu for Friday’s incident in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.
The league handed Abreu a two-game suspension for throwing at Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia in the eighth inning, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Abreu is expected to appeal, which would likely mean the suspension will not be enforced until next season.
Astros reliever Bryan Abreu was suspended two games for what MLB deemed an intentional hit by pitch in Game 5 of the ALCS. While the suspension could be implemented before Game 6, he is expected to appeal, and it likely won’t be enforced until next season.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 21, 2023
The decision means MLB determined that Abreu intentionally threw at Garcia during the eighth inning. The Astros would strongly dispute that, pointing out that putting a second runner on base while already trailing by two runs late in a pivotal ALCS game would not remotely be in their best interests.
Garcia was furious with the incident and clearly felt that the Astros had thrown at him on purpose. Evidently, the league agreed with him, though the Astros would likely argue that Garcia was the one who escalated the entire incident in the first place.
Abreu has been arguably the best reliever in the Astros bullpen all season, having posted a 1.75 ERA in 72 regular season appearances.
