MLB should rescind Dennis Santana suspension after heinous fan details emerge

Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Dennis Santana made headlines last week (and not the good kind) when he engaged in a heated exchange with a fan during the Pirates' 8-4 win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

The incident, which saw Santana jump into the air and take a swing at the fan seated behind the Pirates' bullpen, resulted in the fan being ejected from Comerica Park and Santana receiving a four-game suspension from Major League Baseball.

This marks the first time in Santana's eight-year MLB career that he has been suspended. After the game, Santana declined to share what exactly the fan had said to him that caused him to react aggressively. He did, however, say that the fan had "crossed the line too many times" during the incident and that he was remorseful for reacting the way that he did.

Dan Zangrilli, who hosts the Pirates pre- and postgame radio shows on 93.7 The Fan, reported after the fact that the fans had been throwing peanuts at Santana and peppering him with insults that had "racial undertones."

Zangrilli also reported that the fans "did their homework" and mentioned Santana's recently deceased father in their taunts. Santana went on the Major League Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency List on April 28 in the wake of his father's passing.

Pirates GM Ben Cherington backs Dennis Santana following fan incident and suspension

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington addressed Santana's suspension (which the reliever subsequently decided to appeal) during Sunday's edition of his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan. While he didn't condone Santana's behavior and acknowledged that discipline from the league was necessary, Cherington did express empathy for Santana in the situation.

"What I did hear was really concerning, the type of language that was being used, and language that would have affected any of us if we were in the shoes of someone in the bullpen," Cherington said. "I feel strongly about that. At the same time, we know, I know and Dennis knows that fans are precious to us and we can't do that. There is a reason there's discipline."

Cherington doubled down on his defense of Santana as a player and a person, speaking glowingly of the reliever's brief time with the organization after he was claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees last June.

"He's been terrific on and off the field," Cherington said. "He's been so reliable, so effective and such a good teammate and person. It is not in his nature to act in the way he did at the end of that sequence. Which, aside from everything I've heard from people, is probably enough for me to know something happened that provoked that."

Admittedly, an attempt to clock a fan in the head should result in some sort of discipline from the league, but four games already felt like a bit of an overstep. If these new details reported by Zangrilli are indeed true, MLB has even more reason to rescind (or at least reduce) Santana's suspension.

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