MLB Suspends Suarez, Padres & Dodgers Managers After Brawl

The intense rivalry between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers boiled over this week, culminating in significant disciplinary action from Major League Baseball following a contentious game Thursday night. Padres closer Robert Suarez received a three-game suspension and an undisclosed fine, while both Padres manager Mike Shildt and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts were suspended for one game and fined for their roles in the on-field altercations.

The punishments stem from a series of escalating incidents during the four-game set between the NL West foes, which peaked during the Padres’ 5-3 victory at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.

Suarez Suspended for Hitting Ohtani

MLB cited Robert Suarez specifically for intentionally hitting Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani with a pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning. The pitch struck Ohtani on the back of his right shoulder, moments after the Padres had taken a late lead. Suarez is appealing his three-game ban, which allows him to remain eligible to pitch while the appeal process unfolds.

Speaking through an interpreter Friday, Suarez denied the pitch was intentional or retaliatory. “I was never trying to get anyone into trouble or hit anybody,” he stated. “Unfortunately it happened… They’re entitled to their opinion. They can say whatever they want. That was not the case.”

Managers Disciplined for Role in Confrontation

Both Mike Shildt and Dave Roberts were suspended and fined for “unsportsmanlike conduct and for contributing to inciting the benches-clearing incident.” The managers served their one-game suspensions Friday night, with bench coaches Danny Lehmann (Dodgers) and Brian Esposito (Padres) stepping in to manage their respective teams.

The managers’ confrontation occurred in the top of the ninth inning, immediately after Dodgers rookie pitcher Jack Little hit Padres star Fernando Tatís Jr. on the right hand with a pitch. Tatís Jr. was hit earlier in the series as well, adding to the building tension. Shildt reportedly shouted towards the Dodgers dugout following the hit-by-pitch to Tatís Jr., prompting Roberts to run onto the field to confront him. The two managers bumped and shoved before players and coaches intervened to separate them during a benches-clearing incident.

Managers Reflect on the Incident

Both managers addressed the discipline and their actions. Dave Roberts expressed support for the league’s decision. “I support it,” he said. “I think that obviously I never want to make the game about the managers. It shouldn’t be. It should be about the players and winning… both managers are protecting their teams, and it just unfortunately got to the point that we became the focus, and that’s not the way it should be.”

Mike Shildt was particularly vocal in defending his actions, framing them as standing up for his player and team amidst perceived targeting. “Circumstances were really challenging this past series,” Shildt stated. “At the end of the day I don’t regret standing up for a guy that I love in Tati, and a team that I love and a city that I love.”

Shildt emphasized that while his teams don’t intentionally throw at opponents, they also “don’t take anything,” especially when a key player like Tatís Jr. is getting “shots.” He added, “After a while, I’m not going to take it… Appropriate actions for the circumstances were taken, and I don’t regret it at all.”

Escalating Tension Throughout the Series

The hit-by-pitches and resulting fireworks on Thursday were the culmination of rising animosity throughout the series. On Tuesday, the second game of the set saw Los Angeles’ Lou Trivino hit Tatís Jr. with a pitch, followed by Padres starter Randy Vasquez hitting Shohei Ohtani. Dave Roberts was ejected from that game for arguing an umpire’s warning issued after Vasquez hit Ohtani. The incidents on Thursday simply brought the simmering tension to a boiling point.

Despite being hit twice in the series and being involved in the ninth-inning chaos, Fernando Tatís Jr. was in the Padres’ lineup Friday. Padres third baseman Manny Machado offered a pointed comment about the Dodgers needing to “pray” Tatís Jr. wasn’t seriously injured and “put out a candle.”

Shohei Ohtani also appears unaffected by Suarez’s pitch. After being hit Thursday night, Ohtani famously defused further tension by waving his teammates back and walking to the Padres dugout for some light banter. He threw a scheduled bullpen session Friday and is still expected to make his second mound start for the Dodgers on Sunday.

The disciplinary actions highlight the intensity of the Padres-Dodgers rivalry, which continues to produce must-watch, albeit sometimes volatile, baseball.