MLB Suspends Reds Player After He Taunts Cardinals Pitcher

Major League Baseball suspended Cincinnati Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos for two games for [...]

By John Newby

Major League Baseball suspended Cincinnati Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos for two games for his actions during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He scored a run and then flexed in the face of pitcher Jake Woodford, starting a bench-clearing scuffle. MLB also handed Castellanos a fine for his actions.

According to MLB.com, the Reds outfielder received the punishment "for his aggressive actions and for instigating" the incident between himself and Woodford. However, he is eligible to appeal the punishment. This timeline will make him available for the start of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.

The incident occurred during the fourth inning of Saturday's game, a 9-6 Reds victory. Woodford threw a fastball and hit Castellanos in the ribs, who responded by showing his displeasure. The Reds player scored later in the inning after Woodford threw a wild pitch. Castellanos came running in from third base and dove toward home plate. He collided with the pitcher as he covered the plate.

Castellanos stood up, yelled, and flexed in Woodford's face. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina shoved the Reds player from behind and prompted the scuffle. Tempers ultimately calmed, but a second scuffle broke out on the outfield grass. Interestingly enough, Molina and Castellanos stood off to the side while having a conversation.

"I can't believe that Nick Castellanos just got suspended for yelling, while the 2017 Astros lineup got zero games for stealing an entire championship. Wild," one Twitter user wrote. There were many others asking why the Reds player received a suspension for simply yelling and flexing.

The scuffle took place on Saturday, but there was also another incident that potentially played a role in the incident. Castellanos hit a home run on Opening Day against the Cardinals. He celebrated by flipping his bat in the air and skipping. However, the St. Louis team denied that the celebration played a role in Saturday's incidents.

"What I saw was a really aggressive, big baserunning play by Nick … where he had a great read and made a really aggressive and great slide to get in and score a big run in the game," Reds manager David Bell said about the scuffle. "I know he got up, he was excited, I saw him celebrate a little bit. Then I saw him walk off, walk away and the next thing I knew, I saw a lot of people running on the field."

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