Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles was playing for the team's Triple-A affiliates in Tacoma during a rehab assignment over the weekend, when he was hit by a pitch that ran up and inside on him.
Robles was irate, and in retaliation he launched his bat in the direction of the pitcher's mound and had to be held back by teammates and the home plate umpire as he attempted to escalate the situation further. Robles then threw some snacks from the dugout onto the field before making his way to the locker room.
As a result of his bonkers outburst, MLB issued a 10-game suspension to the veteran outfielder on Tuesday. Robles is expected to appeal the suspension. The suspension will be served in MLB, so he'll be docked 10 games once he's eligible to return from IL.
Robles has since issued an apology for his actions.
There's some history behind his irate response, however. The pitcher on the mound was Joey Estes, and he'd already plunked Robles with a pitch earlier in the series. In fact, Robles was hit twice in his first game of the rehab appearance, though only once by Estes. He was then hit again in the first plate appearance of the very next game. Finally, in the third game of the series, Robles was once again hit by Estes, though it was ruled a swing because his bat came around. He lined out in that at-bat, and then came to the plate again in the third inning. For the fifth time in three games––and the third time by Estes in that span––Robles was hit by a pitch from Estes.
All of that, is what sparked his incredibly frustrated and aggressive response to being hit, again, by Estes.
Robles has just been trying to work his way back to Seattle after missing most of the season with an injury. Finally on his rehab assignment after being out since April, the last thing he wants is to suffer an injury at the plate. It's not hard to see why he was so enraged, though his response was certainly still extreme.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Suspends Mariners' Victor Robles for Throwing Bat at Pitcher in Wild Ejection.
