The Western Canadian Baseball League has handed out suspensions following on- and off-field activities during the July 25 game between the Saskatoon Berries and Swift Current 57s.
Tensions rose at Mitchell Field in the top of the ninth inning when 57’s pitcher Hunter Mark hit Berries' batter Ethan Murdoch. That resulted in several verbal jabs being thrown by each dugout. The chatter eventually led to the ejections of assistant coaches from both teams, and the benches were warned that another hit batter would result in ejections.
After the half inning, Mark tossed his glove towards his dugout, resulting in his ejection.
In the bottom of the inning, Saskatoon pitcher Alex Chumrau hit Swift Current’s Luis Ayala in the head with a pitch. That resulted in the entire 57s bench running out onto the field while the Berries stayed where they were in their dugout.
When seemingly cooler heads prevailed, the head coaches for both teams and Chumrau were ejected. However, while pitcher Zac Laird warmed up to replace Chumrau, there was a flurry of activity out of camera range with members of the Berries rushing from their first base bench area behind the backstop to the third base side where the team clubhouses were located.
After reviewing the incident, the WCBL announced further disciplinary action on social media on Tuesday night.
Swift Current Head Coach Ruddy Estrella was suspended for 10 games, which means that he will miss the remainder of the season. The 57s only have nine games remaining on their schedule, and they’ve been eliminated from postseason contention.
Swift Current Assistant Coach Shawn Lee and pitcher Hunter Mark were also banned for five games for their roles in the incidents.
Saskatoon Berries outfielder Jalen Freeman was suspended for five games, while pitcher Alex Chumrau received a two-game suspension.
Saskatoon Head Coach Joe Carnahan and Assistant Coach Chance Wheatley each received single-game suspensions.
