Pirates' Santana begins suspension for altercation

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Dennis Santana volition service a three-game suspension, reduced from four, for an altercation with a instrumentality during a crippled astatine the Detroit Tigers connected June 19.

The suspension went into contiguous effect, opening Sunday with the finale of a three-game location bid against the New York Mets. Santana volition besides beryllium against the St. Louis Cardinals connected Monday and Tuesday earlier being eligible to instrumentality successful the finale of that bid Wednesday.

Santana, successful the 2nd crippled of a June 19 doubleheader, was seen successful videos posted connected societal media pointing retired the instrumentality to a constabulary serviceman earlier jumping and swinging astatine the idiosyncratic who was successful the beforehand enactment supra Pittsburgh's bullpen astatine Comerica Park.

After jumping astatine the fan, Santana was escorted distant by Pirates bullpen unit and held backmost by a teammate.

Santana aboriginal got the archetypal retired of the ninth inning earlier a rainfall hold stopped what became an 8-4 Pirates triumph successful 10 innings.

"You guys cognize maine and I'm a calm-demeanor benignant of person," Santana said aft that crippled done an interpreter. "I've ne'er had immoderate issues with immoderate of the teams that I've played for and I conjecture the feline crossed the enactment a fewer times. I would not similar to spell into it."

Santana, a 29-year-old right-hander, is 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 5 saves successful 36 games this season. He has allowed 1 deed successful 4 2/3 innings crossed 4 appearances since the time of the incident. In a 9-2 triumph implicit the Mets connected Saturday, Santana struck retired 2 with 1 locomotion successful 1 2/3 innings.