Manny Machado let his temper get the best of him over the weekend. Now, he’ll have a weeklong break to cool himself off.
Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it has fined the Baltimore Orioles third baseman and suspended him five games for his actions during Sunday’s 11-1 loss to the Oakland A’s.
The 21-year-old let go of his bat during an at-bat against A’s reliever Fernando Abad, allowing it to soar down toward third base. Both benches cleared as a result, and Machado and Abad — who had thrown consecutive pitches on the extreme inside of the plate — were ejected.
Abad has also been fined.
The incident took place two days after Machado got into the face of A’s third baseman Josh Donaldson after Donaldson knocked him down with a tag. That altercation emptied the benches as well. Oakland catcher Derek Norris, who had to leave Sunday’s game after being hit in the head twice by Machado’s backswings, called the young star’s actions “a disgrace to baseball.”
Machado, who apologized Monday, plans to appeal the suspension, a source told Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown.
