Marlins’ Jose Ureña’s Dirty Pitch Beaned Braves’ Rookie Ronald Acuña Jr
Aug 16, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:33 am
(Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
(Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Braves rookie, Ronald Acuña Jr, is showing out this season. He is doing so well that it intimated Miami Marlins’ righty Jose Ureña.
On Wednesday night, Ureña found a way to stop Acuña. When Braves’ rookie strode to the plate, Ureña beaned him on the left elbow with a fastball during his first pitch of the game, per Sports Illustrated.
Acuña went down in pain, clearing both benches and then Braves’ skipper Brian Snitker gave Ureña and the umpires an earful.
Ureña was ejected but Acuña’s night came to an early end. Acuña left the game during the second inning and apparently escaped without a fracture.
It is obvious what Ureña intended for Acuña, so obvious that umpires realized it and ejected Ureña.
The pitch itself (97.5 mph) was one of the hardest Ureña has thrown all season and his fastest ever to open a game. He aimed around Acuña’s back despite catcher J.T. Realmuto setting up low and inside.
Ureña’s demeanor didn’t sell anyone on the thought that the pitch was anything but intentional. He made no attempt to apologize to Acuña after the plunking and seemed ready to rumble once benches cleared.
He will be punished for beaning Acuña, but it’ll likely be a light sentence: a fine and a five-to-10-game suspension that will cause him to miss a single start, or depending on the Marlin’s schedule, he may miss none at all.
