ARLINGTON, Texas _ Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick was suspended two games and fined an undisclosed amount for a home plate collision with Los Angeles Angles catcher Jonathan Lucroy on Sunday.
"Obviously, I still feel terrible about it," Marisnick said. "I know deep down in my heart that I had no intent to hurt or make contact with him."
Chief Baseball Officer of MLB Joe Torre said he didn't think Marisnick intended to injured Lucroy.
"After thoroughly reviewing the play from all angles, I have concluded that Jake's actions warrant discipline," Torre said in a release. "While I do not believe that Jake intended to injure Jonathan, the contact he initiated in his attempt to score violated (the rules), which is designed to protect catchers from precisely this type of collision."
Lucroy left the game on a cart and taken to a Houston hospital. He suffered a concussion and fractured nose.
Marisnick is appealing the suspension. He was not in the lineup Thursday night against the Texas Rangers as the teams begin a four-game series at Globe Life Park.
"From some angles it looks bad," Marisnick said. "The lunge people see of me making lunge moves at him to make impact with him, is me trying to clear all the way to the inside. That's why I'm so far inside. It's a brotherhood. Any time a player gets hurts it's bad."
Marisnick spoke with Lucroy after the game.
"It's a bad incident. It's an accident and I feel terrible," he said. "I apologized and got a chance to reach out to him and have some words with him and kind of explain myself personally to him."
