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The San Diego Padres pitcher Robert Suarez, found himself in the middle of a heated showdown against the Los Angeles Dodgers that escalated from mere tension to a suspension. During the eighth inning of last Thursday’s game, Suarez hit Shohei Ohtani in the shoulder with a blazing 99.8 mph fastball, which led to his immediate ejection and triggered disciplinary action from MLB.
This incident unfolded right after Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit in the wrist by a pitch from Dodgers rookie Jack Little, igniting a benches-clearing brawl. Both managers—Mike Shildt and Dave Roberts—were thrown out of the game and later received one-game suspensions as part of the league's response to the growing conflict.
Initially, MLB slapped Suarez with a three-game suspension and an undisclosed fine, citing intent behind the pitch. The right-hander appealed, insisting he had no intention of hitting Ohtani and was merely trying to finish the game.
Through an interpreter, Suarez told reporters he was “not trying to run into trouble or hit anybody,” but he understood the consequences once the pitch was thrown.
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On Tuesday, Suarez’s appeal saw some success. His suspension was cut down to two games, and he’s expected to start serving it during the Padres’ series against the Washington Nationals, which will temporarily shrink San Diego’s roster to 25 players.
This incident wrapped up an intense four-game showdown between the division rivals. Ohtani had already taken a hit earlier in the series, just like Tatis, which only added to the growing tension. When Suarez got ejected, Ohtani calmly waved off his teammates, stepping in to keep things from escalating any further.
With the suspension now resolved, Suarez can look forward to making his return over the weekend. Meanwhile, San Diego is still battling for position in the NL standings, having secured a 4-3 victory on Tuesday against Washington, bringing their record to 43-36 for the season.
