Astros coach Alex Cintrón suspended 20 games for instigating brawl against A's

Major League Baseball has suspended Houston Astros hitting coach Alex Cintrón for 20 games for instigating the bench-clearing brawl between the Astros and Oakland A's.

Tensions between the teams were high as Ramón Laureano, who is an outfielder for the Athletics, was hit by two pitches during the game. After the second beaning, Laureano, who was clearly upset, began exchanging words with Cintrón as he headed to first base. After Cintrón said something, apparently about Laureano's mother, Laureano charged towards the Oakland dugout and the brawl began.

Laureano has been suspended for six games for his role in the brawl but most criticism has been aimed at Cintrón, as critics felt that a coach should not be taunting opponents. Plus, it certainly does not help that the Astros' organization is already the most-hated in all of baseball due to their massive cheating scandal, which Cintrón reportedly played a major role in. 

According to USA Today, 20 games is one of the largest suspensions ever given to a coach. Laureano told ESPN's Jeff Passan that while Cintrón said "said in Spanish something you don't say about my mother," he still regrets going after him.

"I regret charging him because he's a loser," Laureano said. "[A suspension] is understandable, but I hope it's not that many games. At the end of the day, I'm here to win a World Series with the Oakland Athletics -- this wonderful group of guys. I don't want to be a distraction. Obviously, I am right now."