HOUSTON -- Bryan Abreu's two-game suspension was upheld by an independent arbitrator but was delayed until the start of the 2024 season, making the Houston Astros' primary setup reliever available for Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.
Abreu entered in the sixth inning of the Astros' 11-4 loss to the Texas Rangers with Houston trailing 8-2 and hit his second batter, Mitch Garver, on the left side with a 97.2 mph fastball. He then gave up Nathaniel Lowe's two-run homer with two outs, raising his postseason ERA from 2.45 to 4.32 in nine appearances.
Abreu was suspended in the wake of a benches-clearing incident in the eighth inning of Game 5 on Friday, when he threw a first-pitch fastball at the left arm of Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia.
Garcia, who two innings earlier had boisterously celebrated a go-ahead home run, immediately turned to Astros catcher Martin Maldonado, seemingly believing that he had called for the pitch inside, then went after him again after players from both sides had spilled onto the field during a 12-minute delay before play resumed.
MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill on Saturday wrote that Abreu was punished for "intentionally throwing at" Garcia, adding that all six umpires had determined the pitch was intentional in ejecting him. MLB wrote that it "took into account the dangerous nature of the pitch and its potential impact on player safety."
Abreu, along with several other members of the Astros, denied he hit Garcia on purpose. The right-hander appealed the ban prior to Game 6, clearing the way for his availability Sunday night.
He was pleased with the resolution since it allowed him to pitch this postseason despite the suspension not being reduced.
"Of course," he said Monday, before his inning in relief. "I'm glad to be here and try to help the team to win."
The appeals hearing was held Monday before John McHale Jr., special assistant to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who determined that the suspension was reasonable but didn't think it was appropriate to affect such an important game, a source with knowledge of the situation said. Abreu also was fined an undisclosed amount.
The players' association declined to comment.
Houston manager Dusty Baker used Abreu for only one inning with the Astros trailing by just two runs late in an eventual Game 6 loss in hopes that the reliever might be available again in Game 7. That possibility prompted Baker to turn to Rafael Montero in the ninth, setting the stage for the five-run inning that turned Game 6 into a blowout.
"That was kind of what I was hoping for when I didn't use him in a down game two innings yesterday," Baker said before Monday's game. "He told me he was prepared to throw as many as possible just in case he had to serve a suspension. So it's a blessing to have him for today."
Abreu would have been eligible to pitch in the World Series had the Astros advanced.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley was suspended two games for violently sliding into New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada during the 2015 National League Division Series, but Utley appealed the suspension and was able to play for the rest of the postseason because his hearing didn't take place until the following March.
In hopes of avoiding a similar issue, MLB outlined in its current collective bargaining agreement that hearings must be held within 48 hours of a player's request to appeal during the postseason. That occurred in Abreu's case, but the arbitrator nonetheless chose to push the suspension for the following season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.