Houston \u2013 Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly was suspended for eight games by Major League Baseball on Wednesday, a day after throwing a fastball \u2026<\/b>
\nHouston \u2013 Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly was suspended for eight games by Major League Baseball on Wednesday, a day after throwing a fastball near the head of Houston\u2019s Alex Bregman and mockingly taunting Astros star Carlos Correa. Benches cleared after Kelly\u2019s actions during the sixth inning of Los Angeles\u2019 5-2 win at Minute Maid Park. The game marked the first time the teams had met since it was revealed Houston stole signs en route to a 2017 World Series title that came at the Dodgers\u2019 expense. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was suspended one game and Astros manager Dusty Baker was fined an undisclosed amount. Kelly elected to appeal and can continue to play until the process is complete. Roberts was serving his penalty Wednesday night when the Dodgers played at Houston. Kelly, a hard thrower with a touch of wildness, has previously been suspended in his career for throwing at a batter. The lingering animosity the Dodgers felt toward the Astros \u2013 who were penalized by MLB in the offseason after their scam came to light \u2013 had been brewing. It bubbled over when Bregman, a star of the Astros\u2019 run to their championship, came to bat in the bottom of the sixth on Tuesday night. The Dodgers led 5-2 when Kelly, who was with Boston in 2017 and also faced Houston that postseason, zipped a 3-0 fastball behind Bregman\u2019s head. Bregman grimaced after jumping to avoid being hit, then trotted to first base. There were two outs in the inning when Kelly threw a breaking ball over Correa\u2019s head. Correa, who homered and finished with three hits, took off his batting helmet and stared Kelly down before continuing the at-bat. Kelly struck out Correa to end the inning, then stuck out his tongue and made a face in his direction. Correa started walking toward him and the players exchanged words, prompting the benches to clear in the first such incident of this pandemic-delayed season. There was plenty of yelling and crowding \u2013 outlawed as MLB tries to play a 60-game season amid the pandemic \u2013 but there was no pushing or punches thrown. Kelly denied that he purposely threw at the Astros. He was asked if there was any added motivation Tuesday because his Red Sox team lost to Houston in the AL Division Series in 2017. \u201cNo. When I was with the Red Sox we beat them in \u201918,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of those things that I pitch competitively. With no fans here, it\u2019s easy to hear some stuff (from the opposing dugout)\u2026 there\u2019s something they apparently didn\u2019t take too kind to.\u201d After the game, Roberts said he wasn\u2019t sure if Kelly\u2019s pitches were retaliation for Houston\u2019s cheating. \u201cI really don\u2019t know, to be quite honest,\u201d he said. \u201cI know he got behind Bregman 3-0 and lost a fastball. I really don\u2019t think there was intent behind that. I think those guys took a little bit of offense. Even the one to Correa, that was a breaking ball that just backed up.\u201d \u201cObviously the expectation going into the series that things were kind of escalated maybe a little, I don\u2019t know if prematurely\u2019s the word, but that\u2019s kind of what happened,\u201d he said. Said Baker: \u201cBalls get away sometimes but not that many in the big leagues.\u201d \u201cWhen you throw a 3-0 fastball over a guy\u2019s head you\u2019re flirting with ending his career,\u201d he said. Baker said things really got out of hand because of something he said Kelly told Correa after the strikeout. \u201cWe didn\u2019t say anything,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t start nothing. But we don\u2019t take nothing, either.\u201d Order was restored after a couple of minutes and there were no ejections, but Baker was still upset before play resumed and got in the face of an umpire. Bregman avoided questions about the incident postgame and Correa did not speak to reporters. Houston was punished by the commissioners\u2019 office in January for the sign-stealing scheme, which led to the firing of general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch. Many players around the league were unhappy that no players were disciplined for their roles in the cheating. The Dodgers had harsh words for the Astros during spring training, but Roberts said before the game that he didn\u2019t think his team would retaliate. The penalties were imposed by former pitcher Chris Young, MLB\u2019s senior vice president of baseball operations. This was his first discipline case since taking over the job from Joe Torre. \u2013\u2013\u2013 More AP MLB: https:\/\/apnews.com\/MLB and https:\/\/twitter.com\/AP\u2013Sports<\/p>\n