Blue Jays' Lawrie appeals suspension, in lineup vs. Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie on Wednesday appealed his four-game suspension by Major League Baseball Wednesday following a run-in with umpire Bill Miller.
Lawrie announced prior to Wednesday's home game against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre that he was appealing because "I feel I have the right to explain my side of the story about what happened (Tuesday) night," he told reporters.
MLB Senior Vice President of Standards and On-Field Operations, Joe Garagiola Jr., announced that Laurie would be suspended for four games and fined an undisclosed amount of money earlier Wednesday for what was termed "aggressive actions" towards Miller, including throwing a helmet near Miller during the ninth inning of Tuesday night's game at Rogers Centre against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. The helmet struck Miller in the hip.
The suspension and fine are now on hold until Lawrie's appeal is heard by MLB officials. No announcement has been made on when that hearing will occur.
Lawrie told reporters he was expecting to be suspended after the incident, but that he had a defense: "In a nutshell is just I didn't mean to hit him."
