Framber Valdez Getting Suspended for Just 5 Games After Hitting Trevor Story Doesn’t Sit Well With Fans: “Needs to Be Out of MLB”

Framber Valdez drilled Trevor Story with a fastball on Tuesday in the 4th inning after giving up back-to-back home runs.

Framber Valdez Getting Suspended for Just 5 Games After Hitting Trevor Story Doesn’t Sit Well With Fans: “Needs to Be Out of MLB”

Trevor Story and Framber Valdez (Image via MLB)

Framber Valdez has been suspended. The Detroit Tigers star was slapped with a ban after he hit Trevor Story with the pitch during the game against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

The Tigers came into this game on the back of a 5-4 loss on Monday. Before that, they were dealt a major blow in the form of Tarik Skubal.

The 2-time defending Cy Young Award winner was initially supposed to start the game on Monday. However, after an injury flared up on Sunday, he was scratched from the lineup.

Scans later revealed him to have loose bodies in his left elbow, forcing him to undergo surgery. As a result of this, the Tigers will be without their ace pitcher for around 2-3 months.

Skubal became the latest Tigers starting pitcher to join the injured list after Casey Mize, Justin Verlander, Reese Olsen, and Jackson Jobe. With all of them out, the team needed a strong performance from Valdez, whom they brought in earlier this year on a 3-year, $115 million deal.

The former Houston Astros star, however, struggled from the mound on Tuesday. In 3 innings, the Red Sox had put up 8 runs. It was in the 4th inning that things got heated.

Valdez first gave up back-to-back solo home runs to Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu. This saw the visitors take a 10-2 lead. Trevor Story then stepped up to the plate.

On the first pitch of this at-bat, Valdez ended up hitting the batter. A 94 mph fastball drilled the Red Sox star. He began yelling at the southpaw, which led to the benches being cleared.

While no punches were thrown after the benches were cleared, Valdez was tossed from the game. The officials ejected him, leading to him finishing his day with 3 innings pitched and giving up 10 runs (7 earned) through 9 hits.

The Red Sox ended up winning 10-4 and clinched the series. After the game, interim manager Chad Tracy slammed the pitcher and expressed that his hit was intentional.

On Wednesday, the MLB took action regarding this. The league initially slapped Valdez with a 6-game suspension and undisclosed fine. However, after the 32-year-old agreed to drop any appeal, his suspension was reduced to 5 games.

Valdez was originally scheduled to start against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday in the series finale. With this suspension, he will miss that game. This means his next start will be against the New York Mets next Wednesday.

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Social media reactions to Framber Valdez’s 5-game suspension

Framber Valdez will be out of selection for the next 5 games. The Detroit Tigers star was handed a 5-game suspension by the MLB for hitting Trevor Story during Tuesday’s game. This development did not sit well with fans on social media.

Framber Valdez
Framber Valdez (Image via ESPN)

Users on X were not happy to see him being suspended for just 5 games. Some brought up his incident from last year, where he crossed his own catcher, Cesar Salazar, after giving up a grand slam. One angry user wrote, “needs to be out of MLB,” while reacting to this ban of Valdez.

Check out that and some other reactions from X below:

Speaking of the Tigers, the team lost 4-0 on Wednesday. They thus got swept at home by the Red Sox, leaving them with an 18-20 record and 2nd in the AL Central standings, one game behind the 19-19 Cleveland Guardians.

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Tigers’ manager A.J. Hinch was also suspended for 1-game following Framber Valdez incident

Framber Valdez found himself in hot water after he drilled Trevor Story on Tuesday. While he was handed a 5-game suspension for this, his manager, A.J. Hinch, was also penalized and given a 1-game ban.

A.J. Hinch and Framber Valdez
A.J. Hinch and Framber Valdez (Image via Yardbarker)

After the game, Hinch was not pleased with what had happened. While speaking with the reporters, he claimed that his team plays “good brand” of baseball here and that play was not like it. Despite this, he was still suspended.

This is because of MLB rules. A manager is held accountable for the actions of the players on the field. As a result of Valdez’s actions, Hinch was handed a 1-game suspension, which he served on Wednesday. This was his first suspension since 2020.

In 2020, he was suspended for the entire year following the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. He will be available from the dugout on Friday when the Tigers take on the Royals on Friday.

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