Gabe Kapler appears to have invented a creative new way to get suspended.
MLB announced on Friday that the San Francisco Giants manager has been suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount. Kapler, who was ejected in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, is said to have returned to the dugout following his ejection.
Tuesday’s game saw home-plate umpire Chad Whitson eject Kapler during an Wade Meckler at-bat for arguing ball and strikes. The Giants won the game 7-0.
While there doesn’t seem to be any footage of Kapler returning to the dugout afterward the ejection, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic notes that Kapler said postgame that he watched later portions of the game from the batting cage, which is right behind the dugout. That was likely enough for MLB to suspend Kapler, Pavlovic adds.
The fourth-year Giants manager Kapler will serve his suspension on Friday against the Atlanta Braves (Bench coach Kai Correa will manage the Giants instead.) San Francisco currently holds the second NL wild-card spot at 64-57, but Kapler getting Bobby Valentine’d was probably low on everybody’s bingo card.
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