The Astros were looking at the potential of missing perhaps their best reliever heading into a pivotal stretch of the playoffs. But while he will have to sit out two games, it appears a suspension will be staved off for the remainder of the playoffs.
Bryan Abreu had been handed a two-game suspension by MLB after it was deemed he intentionally hit Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia with a pitch in Game 5 of the ALCS. Garcia was outraged and quickly turned to Astros catcher Martin Maldonado, leading to a benches-clearing scuffle between the two teams.
Garcia, Abreu and Astros manager Dusty Baker were ejected from the game. Umpires said Abreu intentionally hit Garcia with the pitch, which is grounds for an automatic ejection.
Following the game, Major League Baseball announced in a release Abreu would be suspended for two games and fined for throwing at Garcia. The suspension would have kept Abreu out for Game 6 and either a potential ALCS Game 7 if the Rangers win, the first game of the World Series or the first game of the 2024 season.
MORE: Dusty Baker responds to Bryan Abreu ejection
However, baseball fans might see Abreu pitch on Sunday in a potential clinching game for the Astros. Why is he able to do that? Here's what you need to know.
Bryan Abreu suspension, explained
MLB had determined that Abreu's hit-by-pitch of Garcia was intentional. The Astros reliever argued it wasn't.
Because Abreu elected to appeal his suspension, he was eligible to pitch until the hearing of his case is completed. According to The Athletic's Chandler Rome, his hearing was scheduled for Monday. On Monday, it was reported by MLB.com his suspension was upheld, but while he will have to sit out for two games, the suspension was deferred to the start of the 2024 season.
The release from MLB had noted that all six umpires in ALCS Game 5 determined Abreu had thrown at Garcia intentionally, leading to his ejection. It also said MLB "took into account the dangerous nature of the pitch and its potential impact on player safety."
In a normal game, it is perhaps understandable why there might be a belief Abreu had thrown intentionally at Garcia. There was a history between the teams dating back to an altercation when several players were hit by pitches and Garcia hit a home run off the Minute Maid Park train tracks. Maldonado took exception to Garcia's celebration at the time, causing the benches to clear.
Then in the game, Garcia hit a go-ahead blast off Justin Verlander in the bottom of the sixth, spiked his bat in celebration and stomped on home plate when he arrived to officially make it a 4-2 game.
But this was the ALCS, and the hit-by-pitch came with the Astros still trailing by two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Sure, it was a first-pitch fastball, but it put runners on first and second with no one out, putting Houston in a jam in a game they wanted to win to take the 3-2 advantage in the series.
Abreu explained after the game he was trying to pitch Garcia up-and-in and said he missed his location. Baker said the plan had been to pitch Garcia up-and-in as well, and added that in that situation, there was no reason to try and put an extra runner on base.
"You’re certainly not going to add runs on in the ninth inning in the playoffs when we’re trying to win a game. I mean how do you prove intent? That’s what I don’t understand," Baker said. "And I haven’t been that mad in a long time. I don’t usually get mad about nothing. I’m just glad that we won the game. And it turned out right for us.”
