MLB suspends Yankees’ Aroldis Chapman three games; Aaron Boone, Kevin Cash receive one-game bans

Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has been suspended three games for throwing a 101 MPH fastball at Rays utility player Mike Brosseau’s head during the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s game. Yankees manager Aaron Boone and Rays manager Kevin Cash have each been suspended one game and received undisclosed fines for their roles in the proceedings.

Chapman, 32, has a history of irresponsible behavior on the mound (and off the mound, for that matter), so it was frankly a bit surprising to see him only receive a three-game ban considering the damage a 101 MPH pitch could’ve done to Brosseau if it had actually made contact with his head. Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly received a five-game suspension (reduced from eight after an appeal) for throwing at the heads of Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa, though it was a bit easier to prove the premeditation of those pitches considering the general animosity towards that franchise around baseball due to their recent sign-stealing scandal.

Boone received the usual manager’s suspension that comes along with a pitcher suspension in a situation like this, but Cash also received a ban for some alarming comments that suggested an interest in retaliation:

Boone and Cash will serve their suspensions immediately, and ESPN’s Marly Rivera reported that it’s likely Chapman will do the same: