Pirates reliever Dennis Santana starts serving 3-game suspension for fan incident at Detroit
Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed reliever Dennis Santana began serving a three-game suspension Sunday for his actions during the second game of a doubleheader June 19 at Detroit.
Santana initially was suspended four games by MLB when video cameras captured him arguing with a spectator then jumping taking a swipe at the fan from the bullpen at Comerica Park.
“He crossed the line, and I’d like to leave it at that,” Santana told reporters. “I’ve never had anything like this happen in my eight years in baseball.”
Santana’s suspension was supposed to start June 20, but he appealed the length and had it reduced by one game. The three games involved in the suspension are Sunday’s series finale against the New York Mets and the first two games of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday and Tuesday at PNC Park.
That leaves the Pirates without one of their top leverage relievers, as Santana is 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 28 strikeouts against six walks in 36 innings over 36 appearances this season. He pitched 12⁄3 innings of relief in Saturday’s 9-2 win over the Mets, allowing one walk with two strikeouts.
During the suspension, Santana is permitted to be in uniform and participate in pregame activities but must be out of uniform and away from team areas during the game. He is allowed to watch the game from the suite level but can not be in the dugout, bullpen, press box or broadcast areas while serving his suspension.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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