4/27/2006

Delmon Young Incident

Okay, this has been out there for a while.

Delmon Young, the top prospect in minor league baseball and an outfielder for the Durham Bulls, struck out in the first inning of an International League game at Pawtucket.

He did not leave the batter's box right away. The replacement umpire did not like it. Young walked away and got thrown out. ESPN has the video HERE of what happened next.

The bat comes flipping through the air (from out of the frame) and hits the umpire. Young has been suspended indefinitely by the International League.

It sounds worse than it looks.

The guys at deadspin.com have a post that links to an eyewitness account and a few Devil Ray

Here is the story from the Pawtucket Times with the very fascinating statement by the anonymous umpire. What makes the statement fascinating isn't the words in the statement, but the fact that the umpire is not named.

Afterwards, the umpire released the following statement. "It was an unfortunate incident and there should be no place for actions like that in the game of baseball. Any official should not be treated like that. He embarrassed himself and his teammates."

I think this incident falls somewhere between Robby Alomar spitting on the umpire (worse) and Inland Empire 66er Evel Bastida-Martinez taking a bat out to the mound in a California League game and hitting the pitcher in 2003 (not as bad).

Alomar got five games. Bastida-Martinez (a former Rattler from 2002 & 2004) got banned from the California League for life and if memory serves me, the Mariners suspended him before the California League acted.

How long will this suspension be for Delmon Young? I would guess about a month. Maybe two.

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