With baseball ablaze over the Houston Astros' cheating scandal, commissioner Rob Manfred met with several managers Sunday and told them to knock off any notion of get-even beanballs.
"I hope that I made it extremely clear to them that retaliation in-game by throwing at a batter intentionally will not be tolerated, whether it's Houston or anybody else," Manfred said. "It's dangerous and it is not helpful to the current situation."
Cody Bellinger, Kris Bryant, Trevor Bauer and Carlos Correa were among the All-Stars recently trading threats, accusations and barbs as spring training opened. The revelation of Houston's sign-stealing scam, the punishment imposed by Major League Baseball and poorly received apologies by the Astros further enhanced anger across the sport, with players, club management and fans all joining in.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred takes questions about the Houston Astros during a news conference at the Atlanta Braves' spring training facility Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, in North Port, Fla. (Curtis ComptonAtlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
"I think that the back and forth that's gone on is not healthy," Manfred said.
Manfred had previously planned to attend a news conference at the Atlanta Braves' new camp, along with managers and representatives of teams training in Florida to talk about the upcoming season. Instead of an uplifting look at the upcoming season, as this annual press session is, there was no doubt what was the No. 1 topic.
Manfred said he would personally talk to the managers of the teams that train in Arizona on Tuesday.
Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander crosses his arms as he stands with his teammates at the start of their first spring training baseball workout of the season Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP PhotoJeff Roberson)
In further fallout from the Astros' scheme, Manfred said the investigation into the Boston Red Sox could be completed within two weeks. He also said he planned to meet the players' union to discuss new rules limiting in-game video access.
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