Phillies reliever Jose Alvarado has been suspended three games by Major League Baseball for his actions after striking out Mets hitter Dominic Smith in the eighth inning of Friday night’s game.
He is appealing the suspension and will be available as he appeals.
Alvarado reacted emotionally after punching out Smith to end the inning with two men on base and a one-run lead. He gestured and yelled toward Smith and then threw his glove in a “let’s go” sort of motion when Smith reacted.
The benches cleared, and then they cleared again 15 minutes later when Miguel Castro went inside twice to Rhys Hoskins.
Phillies manager Joe Girardi is frustrated to lose one of his best relievers.
“We’ll see what the next course of action is,” he said. “You’re always disappointed when a player gets suspended, in a sense. You can’t afford to lose players. There’s so much more emotion that’s allowed in this game and it’s actually encouraged that I think sometimes things like this are going to happen, and that’s the fallout.
“The unfortunate thing is people want to see emotion but managers don’t want to see players suspended. To me, it kinda stinks. It might have been the most exciting part of that game, too.”
Alvarado has pitched well this season, allowing one run in eight innings with 13 strikeouts. He’s hit three batters, two of them Mets, and that was the initial source of Smith’s frustration with him earlier in April.
“(MLB) felt he instigated,” Girardi said of Alvarado, “but that doesn’t cause everyone to run out of the dugout. That’s what it is, we’re gonna have to deal with it and do the best we can.”
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