Major League Baseball (MLB) stated on Sunday that bullpen pitcher Yohan Ramirez of the New York Mets and manager Carlos Mendoza of the team would miss three and one game, respectively.
During the seventh inning of the Mets’ 7-6 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Citi Field in New York City on March 30, Ramirez threw a ball at Rhys Hoskins, the Brewers’ designated hitter, from behind. Ramirez was sent off for the incident, and the major leagues declared it to be a malicious move.
“I was trying to throw my sinker inside,” Ramirez defended his move. “And sometimes when I try to get it too inside, the ball just runs. In this weather, I didn’t have the grip that I want.”
Hoskins disagreed, but Mendoza and his Brewers colleague Pat Murphy agreed with Ramirez.
“Big-leaguers don’t miss by eight feet,” he said. “Whether it was on purpose or not is really not for me to decide. But this game has had a way of policing itself for many, many years. So let’s focus on doing it the right way if we’re going to do that.”
On March 30, Hoskins had three hits—including a home run—and four runs batted in (RBIs) against the Mets. Every time he batted, he was jeered by the home fans. His hard slide into second base and Jeff McNeil’s hit the previous day caused the ill will. The episode almost led to a heated dispute involving multiple parties. The Brewers defeated the Mets 3-1 to close the game on March 29, but that victory did little to calm the crowd the next day.
“I’m a competitor, no doubt about it – people boo you, people doubt you, people do whatever they do; it’s always nice to prove people wrong,” Hoskins said. “So yeah, I’m ecstatic about what I was able to do to help us win a game today. We won a series on the road to start the year in a place that’s not easy to do so. Stoked about that.”
The Brewers won their third straight game at Citi Field on Sunday, defeating the Mets 4-1.