MLB Suspends 12 Members of Angels, Mariners After Brawl

The clubs were involved in a massive bench-clearing fight during Sunday’s game.

The Angels and Mariners were informed Monday of the discipline the clubs will receive following their bench-clearing brawl during Sunday’s game in Anaheim.

MLB senior VP for on-field operations Michael Hill sent out a memo detailing punishment for a combined 12 players and coaches. The discipline also includes a number of undisclosed fines.

For the Angels, manager Phil Nevin received the biggest penalty in the form of a 10-game suspension. Injured third baseman Anthony Rendon and assistant pitching coach Dom Chiti each received a five-game suspension while pitchers Andrew Wantz, Ryan Tepera and Raisel Iglesias were suspended three games. Bench coach Ray Montgomery and MLB interpreter Manny Del Campo will miss two games, and catching coach Bill Haselman will sit for one game.

On the Mariners side, only shortstop J.P. Crawford, and outfielders Jesse Winker and Julio Rodríguez received punishment. Winker, who ignited the brawl after Wantz hit him with a pitch in the top of the second inning, will miss a total of seven games. Crawford, meanwhile, will miss five games while Rodríguez will sit for two.

The league’s announcement also noted all of the players’ suspensions will go into effect starting Monday night, when the Mariners and Angels host the Orioles and White Sox, respectively. Any player who elects to appeal will have their discipline temporarily postponed until the process is complete; Wantz is currently the only listed player not appealing the suspension.

With managers and coaches prohibited from appealing the league’s ruling, the Angels will enter their matchup short-staffed. Nevin, Chiti and Del Campo will begin serving tonight, according to the memo; Montgomery and Haselman will start their suspensions once Chiti returns.

The memo also included an explanation of each penalty. The league said Nevin and Wantz received their punishment for the pitcher’s “intentional throwing” that incited the chaos, which Hill said came “while warnings were in place.” Wantz was among the six players ejected for the brawl along with Winker, who flipped off the crowd as he exited the field; Nevin and Mariners manager Scott Servais were also tossed.

Rendon, who is out for the year after undergoing wrist surgery, was suspended for “his actions during the incident and for leaving the dugout while on the Injured List.” The 32-year-old’s suspension will begin when he returns from IL next season; additionally, Rendon will not be allowed to sit on L.A.’s bench for the next seven games.

After winning Sunday’s game 2–1 following the stoppage, the Angels are now 35–40, and sit in third place in the AL West. The Mariners are currently fourth in the division with a 34–40 record.

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