Joe Kelly suspended eight games for throwing at Astros players

Major League Baseball has come down hard on Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly for Tuesday night’s events.

MLB suspended Kelly for eight games for throwing at Houston Astros stars Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa in Tuesday’s game. The league stated that Kelly’s previous suspension for the same offense played a role in the penalty, and also cited his taunting of Correa for inciting a bench-clearing incident.

From MLB: "Kelly, who has previously been suspended in his career for intentional throwing, threw a pitch in the area of the head of Alex Bregman and later taunted Carlos Correa, which led to the benches clearing." https://t.co/2BuEyA62y8

— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 29, 2020

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts received a one-game suspension, while Astros manager Dusty Baker received a fine. Kelly is appealing his suspension.

MLB has said they will come down hard on anyone who incites a bench-clearing incident, and they have followed through here. With the Dodgers having 55 games left to play, an eight-game suspension would keep Kelly out of nearly 15 percent of the team’s remaining contests. That’s a significant portion of the season and represents a very severe punishment.