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SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler receives a one-game suspension from MLB

Major League Baseball gave SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler a one-game suspension for returning to the dugout after he was ejected.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler receives a one-game suspension from MLB
SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler receives a one-game suspension from MLB /
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The SF Giants will not have manager Gabe Kapler for the first game of their series against Atlanta on Friday. Kapler was hit with a one-game suspension by Major League Baseball for returning to the dugout after he was ejected in Tuesday's 7-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The league also hit Kapler with an added fine of an undisclosed amount.

Kapler was ejected by home plate umpire Chad Whitson early on Tuesday afternoon for arguing ball and strike calls. Whitson called several pitches strikes against recent call-up Wade Meckler (Giants #7 Prospect) despite K-zone showing the pitches to be outside the strike zone. Perhaps wanting to ensure Meckler, who is known for his strike zone awareness, does not develop bad habits in response to the calls, Kapler was emphatic in his support for his player.

Following the game, Kapler told reporters it may have been the first time he was "watching the game in the cage or right behind the steps." The Giants batting cage at Oracle Park is directly behind the dugout, and it seems that MLB believes that is too close to the dugout for ejected players or coaches to congregate. Normally, ejected players and managers return to their office/lockers.

While it seems like Kapler violated MLB's rules after the ejection, Meckler liked that his manager came to his defense after some questionable calls.

"I really appreciated it," Meckler said on a postgame interview with NBC Sports Bay Area. "It's my second game here. There were a few questionable calls in my at-bats. And you know I'm a rookie I can't really say anything to the guy, and you know Kap comes over and steps up and stands up for me. It's something I really appreciate as a player, especially in my second game here.

With Gabe Kapler suspended for Friday night's game, SF Giants bench coach Kai Correa will likely serve as the team's manager.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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