The St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs have always had a bitter rivalry, but things reached a boiling point during Thursday’s game between the two teams, resulting in an ejection for Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas.
Mikolas was ejected after an at-bat against Cubs outfielder Ian Happ, where Happ hit Cardinals catcher Wilson Contreras with his backswing. This would unfortunately cause Contreras to leave the game.
Things only escalated from here, as Mikolas threw a pitch up and in near Happ’s head on the next pitch. He then actually hit Happ with the following pitch, which led to his ejection.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol immediately protested the ejection, and he also was sent back to the clubhouse early after an argument with the umpires.
It was certainly evident that Mikolas was intentionally throwing at Happ in retaliation for his catcher, and the MLB made the decision on Friday to issue him a suspension.
According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, Mikolas has been issued a five-game suspension for the incident, and will appeal this decision. Oliver Marmol will also receive an automatic one-game suspension following his involvement after Mikolas’s ejection.
It’s important to note that Mikolas is a starting pitcher, meaning that he will likely only miss one start in his five-game suspension.
Considering this, there were very mixed views on the suspension. Some were happy that there was a suspension at all, while others wished it was longer.
It certainly seems pretty cut and dry that Mikolas intentionally threw at Happ, so the appeal could be an uphill battle for Mikolas. Hopefully the next few games of this four-game series are far less drama filled.