Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
On ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, Ryan Dempster made his mark on the long storied rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
Dempster threw the first pitch behind Alex Rodriguez, the next two pitches were inside, and the fourth hit Rodriguez on his elbow guard and ribs. Benches cleared, but only one person was tossed from the game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who was livid that Ryan Dempster was not immediately thrown from the game.
Major League Baseball, currently involved in a legal battle with A-Rod over a potential suspension due to his connection with the South Florida Biogenesis clinic, decided to make a statement by suspending Dempster for five games Tuesday.
While Dempster and other members of the Red Sox claimed the pitch that hit Rodriguez wasn’t intentional, just about anyone watching the game knew the pitch was pretty deliberate. The suspension of Dempster was a clear message from Major League Baseball that they will not stand for a tour of bean balls aimed at Rodriguez hoping to instead let the process play out via the appeals hearing.
The Red Sox have not yet announced who will make the spot start when Dempster’s rotation spot comes up at Dodger Stadium this coming Saturday, but based on workload and schedule, the two most obvious fits are Rubby De La Rosa or Brandon Workman. Workman has been working out of the bullpen lately, but he did have a stretch in July where he put in three consecutive six inning starts with two or fewer earned runs. De La Rosa was recently sent back down to AAA, but he is not listed as a probable starter for Pawtucket in any game as of Tuesday, so his workload might be easiest to manage and have him ready to make the start Saturday.
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