David Ortiz Appeals Suspension
BOSTON (CBS) – Red Sox DH David Ortiz told reporters he has appealed his four-game suspension, but could say little else about it.
"I'm appealing right now but I can't tell you anything else. I have to wait," he said from Tropicana Field on Friday, where the Red Sox open a three-game series against the Rays.
While Ortiz does not know when his appeal will be heard, he has an idea how many games the suspension will be reduced to when the time comes.
"Zero games," Ortiz said, chuckling after. "I'm just kidding. I don't know. We'll see. I know I can expect something, but we'll see afterwards."
Ortiz and Orioles pitcher Kevin Gregg each received four-game suspensions for their roles in the June 7 bench clearing melee at Fenway. Papi was in the Red Sox lineup Friday night, and will hold off any talk of the suspension until he knows his fate.
"I'll tell you what I was thinking, I'll tell you I thought was right, and I'll tell you what I'm going to get. How's that," Ortiz joked.
The bad blood between the Sox and O's continued through the weekend after Friday night's bout. John Lackey hit Orioles first baseman Derek Lee on Saturday with Baltimore's Mike Gonzalez throwing behind Ortiz on Sunday. Gonzalez received a three-game ban while Orioles manager Buck Showalter got one. Lackey was fined an undisclosed amount.
When the Red Sox are done with the Rays, they head to Baltimore for a three-game set. Ortiz does not think there will be anymore fireworks in the series, but he is not 100-percent certain about it.
"Hopefully not," said Ortiz. "Not from our side."
"There's a lot of things going through your mind at the time," Ortiz said of being thrown at. "Sometimes you get carried into situations; you either act like you don't care, or you do what you have to do. I got caught into a situation."
Ortiz did not address the media the night of the brawl, electing to simmer off and talk the following day. He said he felt "pushed" into fighting, and apologized to the fans the day after.
"It's something that, trust me, you don't play baseball that way. But sometimes there's a button that gets to be pushed and you get carried into that," Ortiz said, now a week after the tussle with the O's. "Like I said the day after, it's the kind of situation you don't want to be involved. It's not what the fans come to watch and definitely you feel embarrassed."
"(You) don't want anybody looking at you like you're a punk. I'm a grown-ass man, and I respect everybody. That's why I have a lot of friends around the league because that's the way it is supposed to be," he said.
