September 11, 2024
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Rays reliever Edwin Uceta was ejected and suspended for three games after hitting Nick Castellanos with a pitch on Tuesday night.
Rays reliever Edwin Uceta was suspended for three games and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball less than a day after he threw at Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos, which immediately led to the benches clearing Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash was also fined and suspended for a game, MLB announced Wednesday via Rays beat Adam Berry.
In the second of a three-game series, the Phillies and Rays took a 4-4 tie into the bottom of the eighth inning when Tampa Bay called on Uceta in relief with one and runners at second and third following a Brandon Marsh walk and a Kody Clemens double.
Cal Stevenson then tagged Uceta for a double down the right field line that drove in two runs and gave the Phillies the lead, Buddy Kennedy drove in another with an RBI looper into right after a Garrett Stubbs strikeout, Trea Turner cleared the bases with a two-run homer to make it 9-4 Phils, and then Bryce Harper set up for more damage with a double into left.
The game fell out of the Rays' grasp late, Uceta lost his cool, and Castellanos sensed as much stepping into the batter's box next.
On the first pitch, Castellanos took a 96 mph sinker straight to his left side, pointing to Uceta and exchanging words as soon as the ball hit him. Just as quickly, Harper was off second base and approaching the mound. The benches and bullpens cleared, but tensions didn't escalate much further than that.
"I got into the box and I wasn't even swinging because I thought there was a chance that that could happen, and it happened," Castellanos said from the Phillies' clubhouse postgame, via KYW's Dave Uram. "I think he was just pissed off that his numbers got messed up."
Castellanos was asked after if he had any prior issues with Uceta, to which he said no, only that he had "an overwhelming sense that I was about to get drilled."
"I mean, he hit him on purpose," Harper said, also via Uram. "It's not the game that we play, man. It shouldn't be. Guys throw too hard nowadays. You're getting mad because a guy hits a homer off you or you blow the lead...walk the guy and come out of the game.
"I mean, what are you gonna do? The situation, the whole thing just really fired me up, really upset me. It's not something you should accept in Major League Baseball."
Uceta was ejected after the chaos settled down, and the Phillies closed out the Rays for the win soon after.
The 26-year old righthander was enjoying a solid season as a reliever, taking 0.75 ERA into Tuesday night after 24 appearances, but as Castellanos pointed out postgame, that all spiked with the Phillies' big eighth inning. Uceta's suspension goes into effect with Wednesday night's finale unless he appeals, which will extend the process.
The Phils will look to complete a sweep of Tampa with that finale, in the hopes of pushing themselves that much closer to a postseason berth and the NL East crown.
Phillies RF Nick Castellanos shares his thoughts on getting hit by a pitch from Edwin Uceta @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/lKofBBkkyH
— Dave Uram (@MrUram) September 11, 2024
They'll have to do it without their record-setting leadoff man though.
Kyle Schwarber was originally in Wednesday night's lineup, but on second thought, Rob Thomson said the Phillies are going to exercise caution and give him a bit more rest ahead of a crucial Mets series beginning Friday night.
Bryson Stott will leadoff Wednesday night against Tampa instead, Thomson said pregame, again, via Uram.
Schwarber homered in the Phillies' first at-bat Tuesday night to reach a single-season major league record of 14 leadoff home runs, but left the game right after with an elbow issue.
There wasn't much concern about it from the club afterward, and even belief that Schwarber would be good to go the next night, but after he took batting practice earlier Wednesday, Thomson opted to pump the brakes a bit.
"It's better," Thomson told reporters from the Phillies' dugout. "But it's still affecting his swing a little bit, so I said 'That's it.'"
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