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NEW YORK: Major League Baseball suspended Melky Cabrera and Shelley
Duncan of the New York Yankees for three games each and Tampa
Bay’s Jonny Gomes for two on Friday after a brawl in a pre-season
game.
All three banishments from Wednesday’s melee
would begin March 31 when the regular season opens for the American
League clubs. The Major League Baseball campaign officially opens
the week before with two games in Tokyo.
The three players were also fined an undisclosed
amount for their role in the benches-clearing incident, as were New
York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, Yankees third base coach Bobby
Meacham and batting coach Kevin Long.
Players can appeal the banishments for the
incident, which began in the first inning when Yankees pitcher Heath
Phillips was ejected for throwing a fastball near the head of Tampa
Bay Rays batter Evan Longoria.
In the second inning, Duncan ran for second base
and slid with his shoe spikes high and into the chest of the Rays’
second baseman, Japan’s Akinori Iwamura. Gomes raced in from
rightfield to tackle Duncan.
Umpires ejected Duncan, Gomes and the Yankees
assistants over the incident.
Roots of the incident stemmed from last
Saturday’s pre-season game between the clubs when Tampa bay’s
Elliott Johnson slammed into New York’s Francisco Cervelli at home
plate, breaking the right wrist of the Yankees catcher.
-- AFP
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