Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin has been suspended one game, which he will serve on Saturday for his team's critical game against the Blue Jays. According to the official statement from Major League Baseball, Nevin was disciplined "for his conduct following his club's Friday night game against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre." Nevin has also been fined an undisclosed amount.
Nevin's outburst stemmed from a game-ending, full-count pitch to Michael Stefanic that appeared to be just outside the strike zone but that plate umpire Mike Estabrook deemed strike three. The Blue Jays won the key clash between AL wild-card contenders by a score of 4-1 and ended the Angels' four-game winning streak. Here's a look:
"I just explained to him that I thought the pitch to Stefanic was outside," Nevin said after the game.
Stefanic had just entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Shohei Ohtani, who was forced to leave the game because of cramps in both legs. Despite some initial concern that Ohtani would land on the injured list, he was back in the Angels' lineup for Saturday.
The Angels enter Nevin's suspension game with a record of 54-50 and four games out of the final wild-card spot in the AL. Three teams are currently ahead of the Angels in the chase for that berth.
