Yohan Ramirez doesn't deserve a suspension for throwing at Rhys Hoskins
Intentional or not, the evidence doesn't go beyond circumstantial.
![Feb 22, 2024; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher Yohan Ramirez (46)poses for a photo](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3590,h_2019,x_0,y_86/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/3/01ht9wg07ce2avhdjnhh.jpg)
None of us should be naïve enough to think at the very least there was some subconscious retribution at work here. Yohan Ramirez throwing the ball over Rhys Hoskins’ head late in Saturday’s game between the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers sure seemed like a continuation of the spat from the day prior.
Yohan Ramírez gets a standing ovation from the crowd at Citi Field for throwing a 94-mph fastball behind Rhys Hoskins.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 30, 2024
And now, after a delay, Ramírez has been ejected. pic.twitter.com/HoXWEC4os3
Ramirez, who hit 11 batters last season in only 38.1 innings of work, has a history of being a bit wild. His first appearance of the regular season with a new team is enough to create some jitters. Was this intentional? If so, the Mets and even the Brewers manager Pat Murphy are in denial.
"I bet it wasn't on purpose."
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 30, 2024
Brewers manager Pat Murphy says he doesn't think Yohan Ramírez intentionally threw at Rhys Hoskins and didn't ask for the umpires to eject Ramírez from the game: pic.twitter.com/QynWDuSuYM
There are plenty of coincidences in life that should have us scratching our heads. Both Mets World Series MVPs wore 22. As common of a name as it is, how did the 2000 Mets have two guys named Bobby Jones pitch for them in 2000? Michael Peterson finding two deceased women he had a personal relationship with at the bottom of staircases in his life under mysterious circumstances. The trial of Yohan Ramirez must acknowledge that sometimes events happen that seemingly look connected but only because the simulation running we call life had a minor glitch.
Did Mets pitcher Yohan Ramirez intentionally throw at Rhys Hoskins?
Deniability is a must in any instance where someone is accused of trying to hit someone with a baseball. Ramirez stuck to his story in hopes of avoiding a suspension.
Yohan Ramírez says he was trying to throw a sinker inside to Rhys Hoskins and was not trying to hit him: pic.twitter.com/hDee0ZRvIX
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 30, 2024
Whether we believe Ramirez or not is up for debate. Unfamiliarity with many of his habits and personality, it’s difficult to read between the lines further from the evidence we see.
Because of how critical so many people were, Ron Darling especially, of the Mets throwing at Hoskins late in the game were, it would be a complete disconnect if this were indeed intentional. Some might even call it embarrassing. The Mets waited too long to make Hoskins uncomfortable. He had already almost single-handedly beaten them with his bat.
Motive, opportunity, and means were all available for Ramirez to hunt for Hoskins. All musts in any trial, the difference is Ramirez never actually executed the hit by pitch. An attempted assassination? If MLB starts suspending players for questionable attempts like this and the opposing team’s manager even sides with the defendant, there’s not going to be any room to effectively pitch in this sport any longer.
Ramirez isn’t innocent. He’s also far from guilty. There was some bleach, scared witnesses, and a shovel on that sinker.
manual