Ryan Dempster got a little too self-righteous over the weekend and threw at Alex Rodriguez, with one pitch sneaking up and hitting A-Rod right on his shoulder.
Well, Dempster can thank that one pitch for the five-game suspension, without pay, that he was given from MLB on Tuesday. The Boston Red Sox starter has struggled of late, anyway, so perhaps the hot-headed pitcher will benefit from a few days away from the game. Dempster currently has a 7.40 ERA in the month of August and was drubbed in his last start by the New York Yankees.
Some argued that the Sox starter shouldn’t have even been suspended at all because he only hit one player, but Dempster deserved to be given a 10-game ban if you ask me. Beaning A-Rod was totally childish and it was on a nationally televised stage! Not only did the Yankees’ slugger have to dodge out of the way of Dempster’s first tree pitches, he also was drilled for no reason whatsoever.
The worst case scenario for Boston isn’t that it will be without Dempster for five games. Instead, Red Sox fans better hope that the plunking of A-Rod didn’t light a fire underneath the Yanks, who seemed rejuvenated after No. 13 was cowardly hit by the “Dumpster.”
Devin O’Barr is the Content Commentator for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DevinOBarrRS, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
