Carlos Quentin Suspended Over Dodgers-Padres Brawl

Carlos Quentin was suspended for eight games for his role in the Dodgers-Padres brawl on Thursday. The Padres’ Quentin, a 240-pound outfielder and high school football star, charged the mound in the sixth inning.

The Dodgers’ Zack Greinke hit Quentin with a pitch and the two exchanged words. But the words were not enough. The outraged batter charged full-force at the pitchers’ mound, ultimately leading to Greinke’s broken left collarbone.

The ensuing brawl cleared the benches on both sides and also continued outside the game when Matt Kemp faced off against Quentin and Clayton Richard when the teams left the stadium. Both sides blamed each other in post-game interviews as well.

After the brawl, Quentin, Kemp, and Jerry Hairson Jr. were ejected from the game. Greinke was ejected as well, but would have had to leave anyway, in light of his injury.

The brawl between Quentin and Greinke was the culmination of at least three previous instances. Greinke has hit Quentin three times, including once in 2009 that almost led to a fight. The Padres’ outfielder has been hit a league-high 97 times since 2008.

Along with Carlos Quentin’s eight-game suspension, Dodgers infielder Hairston Jr. was suspended for one game.

The Dodgers and Greinke have maintained the pitcher’s innocence, saying he would never purposefully target a batter — especially during such a close game. Quentin disagrees. He told reporters after the game:

“Myself and Greinke have a history. It dates back a few years. You guys can look it up. It’s documented. It’s unfortunate, as the situation could have been avoided.”

The Dodgers announced on Friday that Greinke will face about two months off the field because of his broken collarbone. The pitcher will have to have surgery to place a metal rod inside the bone. Fights aren’t unusual in baseball, though they don’t generally escalate past pushing and yelling.

Do you think Carlos Quentin’s suspension time was adequate, or should he be out for longer than eight weeks because of Greinke’s broken clavicle?

[Image via Dirk Hansen]