“That's a hefty discipline” “That's all? What a joke” - MLB fans divided over Victor Robles' 10-game suspension for throwing bat at pitcher

The Seattle Mariners could be without Victor Robles for an extended period after MLB announced a 10-game suspension for the veteran outfielder on Tuesday.

The Mariners outfielder faced disciplinary action after his controversial ejection during Sunday's rehab game. Robles threw his bat at opposing pitcher Joey Estes during his outing for Triple-A Tacoma.

While the suspension doesn't start until Robles is activated on the Mariners roster, the veteran outfielder is appealing the punishment.

MLB fans are divided over the punishment and clashed on X.

"That’s a hefty discipline," wrote a fan.

"That's all? What a joke."

"Hit 5 times by that pitcher trying to get healthy, free that man," a fan defended Robles.

"Let him appeal then give him 20 games," wrote another fan.

"5 hbp in 15 plate appearances would cause that reaction from most people," defended a fan.

Victor Robles signed with the Mariners in June last year after the Washington Nationals released him. After slashing .328/.393/.467 with four homers and 30 steals in 77 games in 2024, the Mariners extended him with a $9 million contract in August.

After an impressive second half of the season for the Mariners last year, Robles has failed to maintain the high standards this year due to his shoulder injury.

Mariners president Jerry Dipoto sympathizes with Victor Robles after suspension

Victor Robles has been on the injured list since dislocating his shoulder while attempting a diving catch on April 6. Mariners' president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto expressed his disappointment with Robles' suspension.

“I feel bad for him,” Dipoto said, “because if that's your only view of Victor Robles is picking a video of that off social media, this is a wonderful guy. He just had a moment where anger got the best of him, and he reacted in a way that you just can't react.”

Although Sunday's incident wasn't ruled a hit by pitch, Robles had been hit by a pitch three times in the last four rehab games, with Estes striking him once on Tuesday. Robles also apologized for his reaction in a lengthy Instagram post on Monday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash