Suspension Announced
Brewers reliever Abner Uribe has been suspended for one game due to "inappropriate actions," Major League Baseball announced Friday.
The suspension stems from an eighth-inning incident on Tuesday during Milwaukee's 6-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Uribe is appealing the suspension, so it will be held in abeyance until that process is complete.
The Incident
Things got tense between the two National League Central rivals in the eighth inning when Uribe made a "crotch chop" gesture at the opposing Cardinals dugout after a called strike three to Alec Burleson.
Burleson challenged the full-count strike call by plate umpire Adam Hamari, but the replay review showed it just clipped the zone. Had the call been overturned, Burleson's walk would have loaded the bases.
Manager's Response
"That's unacceptable. It's just unacceptable." Brewers manager Pat Murphy said via MLB.com. "I don't know what got into him. He's been an emotional guy. But that kind of thing – that's just not how we do things, and I was embarrassed by it. Why are we doing it in a 6-0 game?"
Uribe's Apology
Through a translator, Uribe apologized to his team:
"Everyone here knows me and knows who I am. I know I have a bit of a history of being emotional out there. I first owe an apology to the Brewers, to my teammates, to my manager, and all the bosses of the team. I understand that's unacceptable, to go out there and react in a way like that."
Background
Tensions appeared to rise when, just before Burleson came to bat, Uribe buzzed Iván Herrera near his head with a fastball—the third pitch of an eventual four-pitch walk.
Herrera responded by saying, "Keep it down," according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "He's throwing 2-0 sinkers to my head. It's a little uncomfortable there. And then you go and do that to the entire team? That's disrespectful."