MLB suspends Willson Contreras six games for onfield outburst

Major League Baseball suspended St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras for six games on Tuesday for an onfield outburst the previous night, the league announced, and also fined him an undisclosed amount. Contreras has informed MLB he will appeal and will remain eligible to play while the appeal is pending.

The discipline stems from an incident in the seventh inning of Monday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in St. Louis, when Contreras was called out on strikes and ejected by home plate umpire Derek Thomas after a heated exchange. Video and accounts of the scene show Contreras being restrained by several Cardinals coaches, including manager Oliver Marmol and bench coach Daniel Descalso, as the confrontation escalated. Crew chief Jordan Baker told a pool reporter afterward that Contreras and Marmol were "saying vulgar stuff" to the umpire and that Contreras made contact with Thomas.

After being ejected, Contreras threw his bat toward the field as he was being led to the dugout. The bat struck Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown, according to team reports; media accounts differ on whether Brown was hit in the arm or the face. Contreras apologized to Brown after...