David Price fined for beaning David Ortiz; still no suspension

May 30, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) is hit by a pitch from Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher David Price (14) during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Justice has a funny way of working itself out. There has been an abundance of controversy ever since David Price plunked two Red Sox batters, including almost definitely intentionally hitting David Ortiz, and got off scott free while four Red Sox coaches and players were ejected from that game and Brandon Workman is facing a six-game suspension. Realizing the mistakes in that game and the mistake in the Workman suspension, however, Major League Baseball has reigned down and handed David Price a fine for his actions.

I posted yesterday about the unfairness in Workman’s suspension, so I won’t repeat myself too much. In fact, this piece of news regarding Price’s fine largely negates the gist of that earlier post.

However, the fine, which is not accompanied by a suspension, still gives the Rays the last laugh in this debate. Taking Workman out of the rotation for a turn hurts both Workman and the Red Sox, whose rotation has been decimated by injuries in recent weeks. Meanwhile, while the fine affects Price personally, it does not hurt the Rays and one could easily argue that the absence of Price from a turn in Tampa Bay’s rotation would be a significantly bigger loss than Workman’s absence in Boston’s rotation.

Still, at least Major League Baseball did something. That’s more than we can always say regarding these types of matters. Hopefully this fine puts this nasty debate behind us and the Red Sox can re-focus on winning, as they have lost their last two ballgames and face a sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Indians. The ending of this battle is still lopsided in the Rays’ favor, but not nearly so much as it was twenty-four hours ago.