Post by Fish Troll on May 26, 2007 10:13:16 GMT -5
Skipper Gonzalez suspended Friday
Marlins manager penalized for returning to field after ejection
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
MIAMI -- It's been a season of firsts for Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez.
Late Friday afternoon, the first-year skipper was suspended for the first time in his professional baseball career.
Major League Baseball suspended Gonzalez for one game and levied an undisclosed fine because the manager returned to the field on Thursday night as a peacekeeper during a bench-clearing incident.
Gonzalez was ejected in the third inning of Thursday's 5-4 win in 11 innings over the Phillies. The manager was tossed by first-base umpire Chuck Meriweather for disputing a call at first base.
One inning later, both benches and bullpens cleared after words were exchanged between Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis and the Phillies bench.
Gonzalez returned to the field and helped separate players during that pushing and shoving exchange. No players were ejected during the incident.
"It was a mistake on my part," Gonzalez said after the Marlins took batting practice on Friday.
The Marlins and Mets opened a three-game series on Friday at Dolphin Stadium.
Bench coach Carlos Tosca, who served as manager after Gonzalez was tossed on Thursday night, assumed managerial duties again on Friday.
Gonzalez will be back on Saturday.
"It's something I shouldn't have done," Gonzalez said of coming back to the field after being ejected. "But I'd rather not let the stuff escalate more than it was. I think Major League Baseball saw that I was more of a peacekeeper, and not trying to instigate stuff. So I am just going to serve the suspension and come back tomorrow."
Thursday night also marked the first time Gonzalez was ejected as the Marlins manager.
According to the league, Gonzalez didn't have any chance to appeal and he had to immediately serve the suspension.
Before being named Marlins manager after the 2006 season, Gonzalez spent four years as Bobby Cox's third-base coach in Atlanta.
Cox called Gonzalez on Friday.
"He laughed," Gonzalez said of his conversation with his former boss.
The root of Thursday's tensions with the Phillies stemmed back to when the Marlins faced the Phillies on April 28 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
In the third inning of that game, an 11-5 Marlins victory, Willis struck Aaron Rowand with a pitch. Rowand had doubled in his first at-bat that night, extending his hitting streak to 16 games.
The previous night, Rowand was 4-for-5 with a home run in a Phillies win over the Marlins. Rowand also was hit by a pitch thrown by Wes Obermueller on April 29, a 6-1 Philadelphia victory.
Willis said he didn't know for sure that the previous hit-by-pitch ignited what happened in the fourth inning Thursday, but he said he wouldn't be surprised. Willis noted that Rowand was one of the loudest players jawing at him from the dugout on Thursday.
In Thursday's wild game with the Phillies, Jon Lieber threw behind Willis in the third inning. Three batters earlier, Lieber drilled Aaron Boone with a pitch.
Boone was the first hit batter by Lieber this season.
Willis said Friday that how teams handle "filing away" hit-by-pitch incidents is part of the game.
"That's your business. That's a personal call. If you feel like you want to remember everything and retaliate, that's your right," Willis said. "If that's what you want to do, and that's how you want to get down in your clubhouse, I have no beef with that. By the same token, there is a flip side to that. If you take a chance hitting somebody, somebody might hit you back.
"By the same token, we can't lose sight of what we're here for, and that's to win ballgames. But there is a fine line with that. You want to know that your teammates care about you, and vice versa. I was willing to sacrifice even getting into the hole to prove to my teammates that I care about them -- that I care about their well being. That's just your prerogative."
Ironically, Thursday was the first time Willis' newborn daughter was at a baseball game.
"My daughter's first game, and I was fighting," Willis shrugged.
Despite what happened on Thursday, Willis said he respects Rowand as a player.
"I like his game," Willis said. "I think he's a hard-nosed player. He plays the game with a lot of intensity. I don't care if he likes me or not, but I like how he plays the game."
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Marlins manager penalized for returning to field after ejection
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
MIAMI -- It's been a season of firsts for Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez.
Late Friday afternoon, the first-year skipper was suspended for the first time in his professional baseball career.
Major League Baseball suspended Gonzalez for one game and levied an undisclosed fine because the manager returned to the field on Thursday night as a peacekeeper during a bench-clearing incident.
Gonzalez was ejected in the third inning of Thursday's 5-4 win in 11 innings over the Phillies. The manager was tossed by first-base umpire Chuck Meriweather for disputing a call at first base.
One inning later, both benches and bullpens cleared after words were exchanged between Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis and the Phillies bench.
Gonzalez returned to the field and helped separate players during that pushing and shoving exchange. No players were ejected during the incident.
"It was a mistake on my part," Gonzalez said after the Marlins took batting practice on Friday.
The Marlins and Mets opened a three-game series on Friday at Dolphin Stadium.
Bench coach Carlos Tosca, who served as manager after Gonzalez was tossed on Thursday night, assumed managerial duties again on Friday.
Gonzalez will be back on Saturday.
"It's something I shouldn't have done," Gonzalez said of coming back to the field after being ejected. "But I'd rather not let the stuff escalate more than it was. I think Major League Baseball saw that I was more of a peacekeeper, and not trying to instigate stuff. So I am just going to serve the suspension and come back tomorrow."
Thursday night also marked the first time Gonzalez was ejected as the Marlins manager.
According to the league, Gonzalez didn't have any chance to appeal and he had to immediately serve the suspension.
Before being named Marlins manager after the 2006 season, Gonzalez spent four years as Bobby Cox's third-base coach in Atlanta.
Cox called Gonzalez on Friday.
"He laughed," Gonzalez said of his conversation with his former boss.
The root of Thursday's tensions with the Phillies stemmed back to when the Marlins faced the Phillies on April 28 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
In the third inning of that game, an 11-5 Marlins victory, Willis struck Aaron Rowand with a pitch. Rowand had doubled in his first at-bat that night, extending his hitting streak to 16 games.
The previous night, Rowand was 4-for-5 with a home run in a Phillies win over the Marlins. Rowand also was hit by a pitch thrown by Wes Obermueller on April 29, a 6-1 Philadelphia victory.
Willis said he didn't know for sure that the previous hit-by-pitch ignited what happened in the fourth inning Thursday, but he said he wouldn't be surprised. Willis noted that Rowand was one of the loudest players jawing at him from the dugout on Thursday.
In Thursday's wild game with the Phillies, Jon Lieber threw behind Willis in the third inning. Three batters earlier, Lieber drilled Aaron Boone with a pitch.
Boone was the first hit batter by Lieber this season.
Willis said Friday that how teams handle "filing away" hit-by-pitch incidents is part of the game.
"That's your business. That's a personal call. If you feel like you want to remember everything and retaliate, that's your right," Willis said. "If that's what you want to do, and that's how you want to get down in your clubhouse, I have no beef with that. By the same token, there is a flip side to that. If you take a chance hitting somebody, somebody might hit you back.
"By the same token, we can't lose sight of what we're here for, and that's to win ballgames. But there is a fine line with that. You want to know that your teammates care about you, and vice versa. I was willing to sacrifice even getting into the hole to prove to my teammates that I care about them -- that I care about their well being. That's just your prerogative."
Ironically, Thursday was the first time Willis' newborn daughter was at a baseball game.
"My daughter's first game, and I was fighting," Willis shrugged.
Despite what happened on Thursday, Willis said he respects Rowand as a player.
"I like his game," Willis said. "I think he's a hard-nosed player. He plays the game with a lot of intensity. I don't care if he likes me or not, but I like how he plays the game."
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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