Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron suspended 20 games for role in brawl

Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron has been suspended 20 games for his role in a brawl that took place during Sunday’s matchup with the Athletics.

Athletics outfielder Ramón Laureano had been hit by multiple pitches during the course of the series with the Astros, and when Laureano confronted Astros rookie reliever Humberto Castellanos after being hit with a slider in the seventh inning of Sunday’s game, Cintron responded by yelling at Laureano from the dugout and instigating a massive brawl.

While it’s never really appropriate for a coach to harass a player from the dugout, it’s especially bad considering the current environment, in which MLB has strongly discouraged brawls in order to promote social distancing and avoid the spread of COVID-19. With baseball being the sport that has been affected by the virus significantly more than any other sport, one would think Cintron (and everyone else who took part) would have some common sense and keep their emotions under control in order to keep everyone safe and try to make every effort to keep the season going.

For his part in the brawl, Laureano received a six-game suspension — one that will obviously have a much bigger impact on the Athletics than Cintron’s will have on the Astros despite it being significantly shorter.