St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas has been dealt a five-game suspension and fined an undisclosed amount after an altercation with Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ. Both MLB players were involved in a controversial spell of play which also led to Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol receiving a ban.
The announcement, made by Major League Baseball’s senior vice president for on-field operations Michael Hill, came after Mikolas was dismissed from the game in the first innings. The game saw the Cubs win a sixth game in a row, but it was a spell in the first innings that stole the limelight.
The controversy began following a missed swing by Happ. Following through on the backswing he hit catcher, and former Cubs team-mate, Willson Contreras on the back of the head.
Contreras fell to the ground and was seen being treated for a bleeding cut before being forced to leave the field. Happ could be seen embracing his former team-mate as Andrew Knizner took over behind the plate.
Despite no hard feelings between the pair, Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas proceeded to throw two questionable pitches at Happ. The first pitch came in high and just inches away from Happ's face.
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The next pitch came in well wide of the mark, striking Happ on the backside. The Cubs outfielder proceeded to walk to first base as the umpires agreed to eject Mikolas.
The outraged 34-year-old pitcher could be seen protesting against the decision before leaving the field. Mikolas' actions also saw Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol receiving a one-game suspension and a fine.
Speaking after the game, Mikolas reacted to the incident, saying: “In any circumstance, I’ve got Willson’s back; he’s my catcher, and I consider him a really good friend now. Any single one of these guys in this locker room, I go to bat for them 100 percent.
"That’s something we as a team believe in, always having each other’s backs. I guess that’s what the umpires thought I was doing [purposefully hitting Happ], and it’s unfortunate there was no warning or anything.”
Contreras also addressed the incident after opting to glue the cut rather than receive stitches. “I had a little headache earlier when I got hit, but there’s no concussion or anything like that, so that’s a good sign,” he said. “I feel fine, and I want to make sure I’m ready to go tomorrow.”
Happ was also quick to defuse any tension after the incident, saying: “We played together for six years, we're good friends and have a lot of love for him, so to see him go down and be bleeding from the head, it's obviously a scary moment. We texted a little bit after the game, and he's doing all right. So it was just a scary moment."
The Cubs went on to win the game 10-3 and registered a seventh straight win the following day against the Cardinals by 2-3. Both teams face each other next in the third of four matches between the two rival teams.
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