ESPN: Rays’ Edwin Uceta fined and suspended for three games for hitting Phillies favorite player with a pitch.

Less than a day after he threw at Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos, Rays reliever Edwin Uceta was fined an amount not disclosed by Major League Baseball and given a three-game suspension. Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park saw the benches cleared quickly.

MLB said on Wednesday that Kevin Cash, the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, had also been penalized and will miss a game.

After a walk to Brandon Marsh and a double to Kody Clemens, the Rays and Phillies were tied 4–4 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning of the second game of a three-game series. Tampa Bay then brought on Uceta in relief with one out and runners at second and third.

The Phillies took a 2-1 lead when Cal Stevenson hit a double down the right field line off Uceta. Buddy Kennedy then drove in another run with an RBI looper into right field following a strikeout by Garrett Stubbs. Trea Turner then cleared the bases with a two-run home run to make it 9-4 Phils.

Late in the game, the Rays were unable to win, Uceta lost his composure, and Castellanos sensed that the next batter would do the same.

Castellanos took a 96 mph sinker to his left side on the opening pitch, pointing to Uceta and chatting with him as soon as the ball touched him. Harper was off second base and heading toward the mound in the same amount of time. Bullpens and benches emptied, but that was the extent of the tensions.

“I entered the box without even swinging because I believed there was a possibility that that could occur, and it did,” Castellanos stated from the Phillies’ clubhouse following the game, as reported by Dave Uram of KYW. “I think he was just pissed off that his numbers got messed up.”

When asked if he had ever experienced any problems with Uceta before, Castellanos replied that he had only ever experienced “an overwhelming sense that I was about to get drilled.”

“He hit him on purpose,” Harper added, citing Uram as well. “Man, it’s not the game we play. It’s not supposed to be. These days, they throw too hard. You’re losing your cool because you let a guy score a home run off you or you blew the lead; walk the man and end the game.

“What are you going to do, really? Everything about the incident absolutely infuriated and incensed me. You shouldn’t put up with it in Major League Baseball.”