Things got very testy in Detroit's Conway Park between the home town Falcons and their visitors, the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings, in yesterday's game.
Young Oklahoma City starting pitcher Joe Shetler had hit Detroit's star catcher Zach D'Amico with a pitch in the 1st inning and when he then also hit Detroit left fielder Danny Rivera with the third pitch he threw him in the 7th inning, Rivera decided he'd seen enough and charged the mound, leading to an all-out bench-clearing brawl between the two clubs.
It should be noted that Rivera does not have a reputation for having, shall we say, a pleasant disposition (Disruptive) but no doubt the home fans in this case were not displeased with his aggressive reaction. And apparently league officials also saw some intentionality on the part of young Mr. Shetler as he was handed a 10-day suspension while Rivera will only miss half of that time as punishment for his part in the starting the brawl.
It is an unfortunate turn of events for the Diamond Kings as Shetler is proving to be one of the brightest young pitching stars in the league and one of the few contenders to deny
Sadahige Kawasaki a second straight MGL Pitcher of the Year award (though at this point it seems to be
Sadahige's to lose.) In addition to his great talent, Shetler is a real fan favorite with his strong work ethic and well-articulated intelligence.