The most consequential swing of Thursday’s doubleheader between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers might have come in the bullpen.
Pirates reliever Dennis Santana was caught on camera jumping to take a swing at a fan, who was wearing a Pirates jersey and a Tigers hat and taunting him from above the visitors bullpen at Comerica Park. It’s unclear what was said to prompt the reaction, but Santana pointed to a specific fan before walking up to him.
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A security guard quickly pushed him back from the wall.
Per The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen, the fan was later ejected from the stadium. Santana remained in the game and was the pitcher on the mound when the second game of the doubleheader went into an hour-plus rain delay in the bottom of the ninth inning, with the game tied 4-4.
When the game resumed, David Bednar took over for Santana, and the Pirates went on to win 8-4, splitting the doubleheader.
Santana addressed the incident via an interpreter with reporters after the game, via Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazettte:
“You guys know me. I’m a calm demeanor type of person. I’ve never had any issues with any of the teams that I’ve played for. I guess the guy crossed the line a few times, but I would like to not go into it.”
The fan was ejected, but Santana could be facing significant discipline. Like all other major sports leagues, MLB takes a dim view of players getting physical with fans.
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The most recent example might be Anthony Rendon, who was suspended five games — reduced to four on appeal — and fined an undisclosed amount after he grabbed the jersey of a fan and threw a missed punch at him.
The incident comes during what is shaping up to be a career year for the 29-year-old Santana. The journeyman holds a 1.85 ERA after Thursday and has become one of the Pirates’ few bright spots this season.
With his own success and the Pirates’ struggles, Santana is a name to know ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline. We’ll see if Thursday’s incident has any impact on his market.
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