The New York Mets lead MLB in hits by pitches, with 21.
That is batters being hit by opposing team’s pitches.
The second-ranked teams, the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres, have 16.
Yet, Mets manager Buck Showalter was suspended for Monday’s game for the actions of Yoan Lopez in the series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The league believes Lopez, who received a three-game ban, intentionally threw at Phillies’ slugger Kyle Schwarber on Sunday.
The suspension was, in addition, untimely, because it came after six, right before the Mets’ game.
“Trying to create an environment, and have to walk in the locker room at 6:25 and say ‘go get ’em.’ And then go down and tell the coaches they have to change everything,” Showalter said about the fallout on Monday. “I don’t know competitively speaking if the timing was fair to the New York Mets,” he said to SNY.
Showalter Was Mad About His Suspension
Showalter had a spicy quote after being asked about his suspension.
“It’s funny: We are the guys that have been hit, and we are the ones getting punished. Very strange,” he said.
Buck Showalter speaks about being suspended for yesterday's game: https://t.co/KgWwIX8To7 pic.twitter.com/IsCuYuvPbF
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 3, 2022
There is no way to know if Lopez threw intentionally at Schwarber, or if he was instructed to do so by Showalter.
If that’s the case, what he did was wrong.
However, he is right in what he says.
A couple of Mets players could have suffered serious head injuries by hit by pitches early in the season, and the league didn’t do anything.
MLB did act when the Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals had their benches-clearing incident a few days ago, suspending Nolan Arenado and Genesis Cabrera.
But there is no denying the Mets have been on the affected side of hits by pitches early in the season.
It could be some early-season randomness, though, and we hope that’s the case.