A day after being ejected for intentionally hitting Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story with a pitch, Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez has been handed additional discipline by Major League Baseball.
Valdez has been suspended five games for intentionally throwing at Story and has also been issued an undisclosed fine, according to a league source. The suspension will begin Wednesday.
MLB had initially announced the suspension would be six games but reduced it to five on appeal.
The league also issued a one-game suspension and a fine to Tigers manager A.J. Hinch for Valdez’s actions. Hinch will serve that suspension Wednesday and will not manage the club’s series finale against the Red Sox.
The suspension stems from an incident in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s 10-3 Red Sox win. The Red Sox had already tagged the Tigers lefty for 10 runs and hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the inning, at which point Valdez hit the next batter, Story, with a pitch right between the numbers. It was the first four-seam fastball thrown by Valdez all season, and the move prompted both benches to clear, though no punches were thrown and the altercation was quickly defused.
The incident drew pointed comments from the Red Sox following the game, with interim Red Sox manager Chad Tracy calling Valdez’s move “weak,” and Hinch wouldn’t defend his pitchers actions either, telling reporters that he “didn’t feel good” going out on the field after the altercation began and that he didn’t feel they were in the right.