MLB has meted out its punishments for Wednesday’s brouhaha in St. Louis, and the league office largely agreed with the Mets’ view that the Cardinals instigated and escalated.
Cardinals star Nolan Arenado was suspended two games for “contributing to the incitement of the incident,” also known as barking at Mets reliever Yoan Lopez and then shoving Mets catcher Tomas Nido.
Lopez, who threw up and in at Arenado after four Mets were plunked over two games, was fined.
Cardinals pitcher Genesis Cabrera was suspended one game for helping coach Stubby Clapp yank Pete Alonso to the ground.
All three were also fined, along with Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty and Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker, who were both fined for rushing the field while on the injured list.
Clapp was not fined. Alonso was irate with Clapp and Cabrera for pulling him to the ground.
“I thought that was kind of cheap, going from behind. If you want to hold me back, you want to restrain me, go at me like a man,” Alonso said Wednesday.
“I’m a big strong guy,” Alonso said. “They don’t know my temper. If I wanted to put somebody in the hospital, I easily could. But I was just out there trying to protect my guys.”
Lopez and Mets manager Buck Showalter have denied that the pitch at Arenado was intentional.
