Major League Baseball Shows Immense Cowardice With Suspension Of Astros Bryan Abreu

Major League Baseball upheld its two-game suspension of Houston Astros superstar reliever Bryan Abreu on Monday.

But in doing so, MLB leadership also showed immense cowardice.

The league, in upholding the suspension, determined that Abreu did, in fact, mean to throw a ball at Texas Rangers star Adolis Garcia in Game 5 of the ALCS.

MLB Delays Bryan Abreu Suspension To Start Of 2024 Regular Season

But rather than Abreu serving his suspension in Monday night’s Game 7 and potentially the opening game of the World Series, the league delayed the suspension until the opening games of the 2024 regular season.

Make it make sense.

There were only two logical outcomes to the appeal.

Either the Astros proved that Abreu did not intend to hit Garcia, and the suspension was overturned. Or the league would determine that Abreu did aim for Garcia, and it could uphold the suspension for Houston’s next two games.

In doing neither, and allowing Abreu to pitch in Game 7 and beyond, Major League Baseball is, in effect, rewarding the Astros.

It is saying that Abreu did violate a rule, but that doing so should affect his or the team’s playoff run. Which is an absolutely absurd verdict that seemed to sit well with nobody outside of Houston.

“If you’re satisfied that he threw at a hitter to the point that you’re willing to suspend him, it has got to be more than two regular season games,” Michael Baumann of FanGraphs tweeted.

“Well, lesson learned. If you do the crime (in the playoffs), you’ve got to do the time (five months from now with nothing on the line),” wrote @RGodfrey.

Who knows whether Abreu will affect the outcome of either Game 7 of the ALCS or Game 1 of the World Series. But he and his 1.75 ERA this season are quite the weapon for the Astros.

Almost as much of a weapon as the 99 mile per hour fast ball he hit Garcia with.