Dodgers' Joe Kelly: How MLB handles suspensions is 'looks kind of fishy'

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly is calling out the league for how it determines the length of suspensions.

Kelly's eight-game suspension for almost hitting a couple of Houston Astros batters was reduced to five games. In comparison, New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman was banned three games for throwing near the head of Rays hitter Mike Brosseau last week. 

With both situations being similar and Kelly receiving more games, the right-hander wants to know what called for his suspension to be longer. 

"It definitely looks kind of fishy," Kelly said, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. "I obviously knew that (Chapman) was a person again and with the language that they're using at me — it was always that I was a repeat offender. I already had one strike on my record (a previous suspension for throwing at a hitter) and Chapman had the same exact thing. But obviously I've probably said a little bit more words than Chapman said."

Kelly’s suspension came after he threw behind the head of Astros third baseman Alex Bregman and later threw two curveballs that nearly hit Carlos Correa. The 32-year-old then proceeded to make faces and mock Correa, resulting in the benches-clearing brawl, which isn’t necessarily ideal amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kelly has yet to serve his five-game suspension as he's still on the injured list, but he'll have to serve it as soon as he's activated.