Major League Baseball announced Friday that it has suspended Oakland Athletics outfielder Coco Crisp one game for throwing his bat toward an umpire during Thursday night’s game against the Houston Astros.
The incident came in the fifth inning when Crisp took a curveball that he believed was low for strike two. He later struck out swinging on a similar pitch, and while walking away from umpire D.J. Reyburn, Crisp tossed his bat toward the umpire’s feet and was immediately ejected.
According to John Hickey of Bay Area News Group, Crisp spoke about the incident after Thursday’s game and wasn’t sure if there was a punishment in his future:
I didn’t hit him, but it was way too close, obviously. Today just happened… This has never happened to me before. I don’t know what happens in these situations. We’ll see.
I did go back and look at it, first to look at the one before that one, and then to look at that one. When I walked off, I wanted to just flick it back. It was a kind of `see if you can hit it’ type of mentality.
Then when I went and looked at it, I came out way too hot.
The 15-year veteran is no stranger to the league’s justice system, as he’s exhibited a short fuse before during his career.
In 2008 as a member of the Boston Red Sox, Crisp charged the mound after James Shields, who at the time was with the Kansas City Royals, plunked him in the leg at Fenway Park:
MLB suspended him seven games for his role in the fight in what would be his last year with the Red Sox.
Crisp has been a member of the Athletics since 2010, when he became a solid leadoff man thanks to his blazing speed. He led the league with 49 steals in 2011 and had 39 the next year.
But now at 36 years old, Crisp is trying to keep his career afloat after a dismal 2015 campaign in which he batted .175 in 44 games.
This season, he’s batting .243 with seven home runs, 37 RBI and five stolen bases, which is significantly better than last year. However, for at least for one moment Thursday night, his frustration got the best of him and landed him in some trouble with the league.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com
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