ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels interim manager Phil Nevin has been suspended for 10 games and Seattle Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker has been suspended for seven games by Major League Baseball for running during the second inning of Sunday’s game in played in a bench eviction brawl.
Nevin and Winker were two of 12 players or coaches suspended between teams, according to an MLB release Monday night.
Mariners shortstop JP Crawford received five games, Angels pitchers Ryan Tepera and Andrew Wantz were suspended for three, and Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez, Angels reliever Raisel Iglesias and Major League interpreter Manny Del Campo received two games.
Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon, who is out for the rest of the season following wrist surgery, will be suspended from the injury list for five games upon his return. For now, he won’t be allowed to sit on the bench for the next seven games.
Nevin received a significant suspension for Angels opener Wantz, who deliberately threw at Winker while cautions existed for both teams. Nevin made the late decision to field Wantz in place of planned starter Jose Suarez.
Nevin’s suspension began Monday night as the Angels opened a series against the Chicago White Sox. Bench coach Ray Montgomery, who has been suspended for two games, will replace Nevin. Montgomery and catch coach Bill Haselman (one game) will begin serving their suspensions after assistant pitching coach Dom Chiti returned from his five-game suspension.
The penalties were announced within 90 minutes of Monday night’s Los Angeles and Seattle games.
Winker was hit by the first pitch of the second inning by Wantz, who had also thrown a pitch behind Rodriguez’s head in the first inning. Wantz, who is suspended for three games, is the only player not appealing.
The pitch to Rodriguez appeared to be the Angels’ response to Erik Swanson’s 95 mph fastball near Mike Trout’s head during the ninth inning on Saturday night. Trout expressed his frustration with the pitch after the game.
Winker reacted to being hit by Wantz by yelling angrily and pointing at the Angels’ dugout. This caused both benches and bullpens to empty near the Los Angeles dugout on the third base side. The brawl lasted nearly four minutes, with both teams appearing to dish out multiple punches.
The game was postponed by 18 minutes. Of the eight sacked, Seattle coach Scott Servais is the only one not suspended.
Before the suspensions were announced, Nevin denied he used Wantz to throw at Seattle’s players.
“That’s not factual. But I don’t want to get into a war of words with that,” Nevin said. “What’s done is done. Yesterday is over and over. Our focus today is on the White Sox.”