Major League Baseball has upheld Houston Astros‘ star reliever Bryan Abreu’s two-game suspension for hitting Texas Rangers slugger Adolis García with a pitch in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, but Abreu will not have to serve the suspension until the 2024 regular season, according to FOX Sports MLB insider Ken Rosenthal.
Abreu pegged García with a 99 mph fastball in the bottom of the eighth inning, two innings after García’s dramatic three-run home run off Justin Verlander gave the Rangers a 4-2 lead. García immediately took exception to the HBP, turning around and yelling at Astros catcher Martín Maldonado as both benches and bullpens cleared.
No punches were thrown, but García had to be separated from Maldonado and Abreu by several teammates as well as the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez.
Abreu and García were both ejected, as was Astros manager Dusty Baker, who was visibly upset at the umpires’ determination that Abreu intentionally threw at Garcia with a runner on base and nobody out in the eighth inning with the Astros trailing by two. Houston later won 5-4 thanks to Jose Altuve’s three-run home run in the top of the ninth.
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Baker and several Astros players have continued to insist that Abreu did not intentionally hit García. MLB initially suspended Abreu during the series’ travel day Saturday, but Abreu appealed the ruling and pitched in Game 6, throwing one inning and giving up a run. He faced García again and struck him out. The Rangers won 9-2, with García hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning.
Abreu has been one of the best relief pitchers in baseball this season. He had a 33-inning scoreless streak through the end of the regular season and postseason that lasted nearly three months before the Rangers snapped it in Game 3 of the ALCS. Abreu had a 1.75 ERA across 72 innings in the regular season and has a 1.86 career postseason ERA across 19.1 innings.
Game 7 will take place Monday at 8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App.
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