Bryan Abreu Is Free ... For Now: He Can Pitch Tonight In ALCS And Not Serve 2-Game Suspension Until 2024

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Houston Astros relief pitcher Bryan Abreu can pitch tonight in game seven of the American League Championship Series against the Texas Rangers in Houston (8 p.m., FOX Sports 1).

And he can pitch in all of the Houston Astros upcoming World Series games, if they beat Texas and advance. The Astros-Rangers winner will play the National League Championship Series winner out of Philadelphia and Arizona.

Houston Astro Bryan Abreu Appealed His 2-Game Suspension

On Sunday, Abreu appealed his suspension for intentionally hitting Texas' Adolis Garcia on Friday night and got to pitch Sunday night. Major League Baseball ruled on his appeal Monday afternoon and decided to uphold the suspension at two games. But MLB decided that Abreu will not serve the penalty until next season.

"In assessing the matter, MLB took into account the dangerous nature of the pitch and its potential impact on player safety," the league said in a statement on Monday afternoon.

Houston fans show support for pitcher Bryan Abreu Sunday. Abreu appealed his suspension. MLB upheld the 2-game suspension, but he won't serve it until 2024. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Abreu threw a 99 mph fastball high and inside to Garcia and hit him in the upper arm.

"He could’ve hurt me. He could've injured me. That shouldn’t happen," Garcia said.

Garcia celebrated a three-run home run in the sixth inning Friday night off Houston starter Justin Verlander. It gave Texas a 4-2 lead in Arlington in game five. He spiked the bat, trotted slowly around the bases and slammed his cleats into the plate when he scored.

Texas OF Adolis Garcia (2nd from right) is restrained by teammates after getting hit by Houston pitcher Bryan Abreu in the 8th inning Friday in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Apparently that angered Abreu, and MLB players need to get over this overly anal and overly sensitive view of the slightest thing a batter does after hitting a home run. If these displays make a pitcher like Abreu mad, then stop giving up home runs. Or it angered other Astros players, who told Abreu to bean Garcia.

So, the next time Garcia came up to bat, Abreu was pitching in the eighth inning. And Abreu hit Garcia. Several Astros and FOX announcers said it didn't appear to be intentional, but maybe they do not have a good view of the game. Or they're flat crazy.

"The guy (Garcia) hits a three-run homer, and the next time up he gets smoked," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said.

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Guilbeau joined OutKick as an SEC columnist in September of 2021 after covering LSU and the Saints for 17 years at USA TODAY Louisiana. He has been a national columnist/feature writer since the summer of 2022, covering college football, basketball and baseball with some NFL, NBA, MLB, TV and Movies and general assignment, including hot dog taste tests. A New Orleans native and Mizzou graduate, he has consistently won Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) awards since covering Alabama and Auburn at the Mobile Press-Register (1993-98) and LSU and the Saints at the Baton Rouge Advocate (1998-2004). In 2021, Guilbeau won an FWAA 1st for a game feature, placed in APSE Beat Writing, Breaking News and Explanatory, and won Beat Writer of the Year from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA). He won an FWAA columnist 1st in 2017 and was FWAA's top overall winner in 2016 with 1st in game story, 2nd in columns, and features honorable mention. Guilbeau completed a book in 2022 about LSU's five-time national champion coach - "Everything Matters In Baseball: The Skip Bertman Story" - that is available at www.acadianhouse.com, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble outlets. He lives in Baton Rouge with his wife, the former Michelle Millhollon of Thibodaux who previously covered politics for the Baton Rouge Advocate and is a communications director.