The Pittsburgh Pirates will open Tuesday’s series against the Arizona Diamondbacks without their manager. Don Kelly was suspended by MLB for one game after the league determined Pirates pitcher Chris Devenski intentionally threw at Cincinnati Reds rookie Sal Stewart during Saturday’s game.
Devenski was both fined and suspended for his actions. He initially received a three-game suspension from the league, but quickly agreed to a settlement that knocked it down to two games.
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Because of that settlement, both Devenski’s and Kelly’s suspensions will begin Tuesday.
The incident occurred in the seventh inning of the Pirates’ 17-7 win over the Reds on Saturday. With the Pirates up 15-6, Devenski threw a fastball way inside to Stewart, nearly hitting the rookie. Stewart took exception to the pitch, causing the umpires to meet and eventually throw Devenski out of the game.
It’s unclear what prompted Devenski to throw at Stewart, though it may have had something to do with whether Stewart was in the batter’s box at the proper time before the at-bat.
Following the contest, crew chief Alan Porter cited that as a reason the umpires decided to throw Devenski out of the game, per MLB.com.
“We had the situation leading up to it with [Devenski] stepping off the rubber and [Stewart] stepping out of the box,” Porter said Saturday in a pool report. “Still had time and stepped out. After that, [Devenski] stepped up, fired the pitch and we believe threw it at him intentionally. That’s why we ejected him.”
While the Reds’ rookie is in the midst of a strong season, he went 0-for-13 vs. the Pirates during the series.
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Devenski denied intentionally throwing at Stewart, telling MLB.com he was trying to pitch inside and Stewart “took it the wrong way.”
Given that both teams are in the same division, Devenski and Stewart have multiple chances to face each other again this season.
The earliest that can occur is June 26, the next time the Pirates and Reds are scheduled to play.