DETROIT — Delmon Young was suspended by Major League Baseball on Monday for seven days without pay following his arrest on a hate crime harassment charge last week in New York.
DETROIT — Delmon Young was suspended by Major League Baseball on Monday for seven days without pay following his arrest on a hate crime harassment charge last week in New York.
The commissioner’s office said the suspension is retroactive to Friday, when Young was arrested after a late-night tussle at his hotel during which police say he yelled anti-Semitic epithets.
“Those associated with our game should meet the responsibilities and standards that stem from our game’s stature as a social institution,” Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. “An incident like this cannot and will not be tolerated. I understand that Mr. Young is regretful, and it is my expectation that he will learn from this unfortunate episode.”
The statement from the commissioner’s office also said that Young would be required to participate in a treatment program.
Young is eligible for reinstatement from the restricted list May 4.
The suspension will cost Young approximately $257,240 of his $6,725,000 salary.
Speaking before the Tigers game against the Kansas City Royals was postponed by rain, Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski said Young will not appeal the ruling and that he will not face additional discipline by the team when he comes off the restricted list Friday.
“Under the (collective bargaining agreement), there’s no dual discipline,” he said. “He’ll be activated and ready to play on Friday. If he’s not in the lineup, that will be the manager’s decision. He’s been working out over the weekend, and took batting practice today, so he’ll be physically ready on Friday.”
Around 2:30 a.m. Friday, Young was standing outside the team hotel in New York. Nearby, a group of about four Chicago tourists staying at the hotel were approached by a panhandler wearing a yarmulke and a Star of David around his neck, according to police.
Afterward, as the group walked up to the hotel doors, Young started yelling anti-Semitic epithets, police said.
It was not clear whom Young was yelling at, but he got into a scuffle with the Chicago group, and a 32-year-old man was tackled and sustained scratches to his elbows, according to police and the criminal complaint.
Both Young and the group went inside the hotel, and at some point, police were called, and Young was arrested, police said. Young was first taken to a hospital because he was believed to be intoxicated, police said.
Young apologized to his teammates and fans in a statement before being arraigned hours after his arrest.
Dombrowski did not know any of the details of the treatment program. It is not known if Young would undergo sensitivity training, treatment for alcohol and anger issues or some combination.
“We have not been told those details, and we might never know all of them,” he said. “When Miguel (Cabrera) was in a similar program last spring, I never saw the entire treatment program. The team is just told what they need to know to facilitate the player’s work in the program.”
Young is hitting .242 in 18 games. He has one homer and five RBIs.
Clemens’ lawyer attacks 2008 congressional hearing
WASHINGTON — A federal court jury saw snippets of Roger Clemens denying steroid use at a now-famous 2008 congressional hearing, then listened Monday as Clemens’ lawyer tried in fits and starts to declare that proceeding to be “nothing more than a show trial” that shouldn’t have taken place.
The perjury retrial of the seven-time Cy Young Award- winning pitcher entered its third week, which unfolded as yet another session was bogged down by constant objections.
The day ended, however, with a cliffhanger that could prove crucial to the outcome.
The judge appears on the verge of deciding whether the government can broaden its case by bringing in witnesses such as former Clemens teammate Chuck Knoblauch, who has acknowledged use of human growth hormone as stated in the Mitchell Report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.
The Clemens team doesn’t want such testimony to reach the ears of the largely baseball-ignorant jury, but prosecutors argued it’s a necessary rebuttal if Clemens’ lawyer continues to question the motive behind the hearing.
Meanwhile, the behind-the-scenes sniping was again nastier than anything the jurors have yet to hear in court. Clemens’ lawyers used a written response to a government motion filed with the court to aim their latest broadside at the government’s key witness.
They claimed that Clemens’ former strength coach Brian McNamee has a past that “contains more dirt than a pitcher’s mound.”
Mets CF Torres activated from DL
HOUSTON — New York Mets center fielder Andres Torres has been activated from the disabled list and was in the lineup for Monday night’s game against the Houston Astros.
Torres has been on the disabled list since April 6 with a strained left calf.
He hit .263 with four runs scored, an RBI and three stolen bases in five games in a minor league rehabilitation assignment. Torres, who is in his first season with the Mets, had four homers and 19 RBIs with 19 stolen bases last season for San Francisco.
Infielder Zach Lutz was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday to make room for Torres.
Yankees OF Swisher expected to miss week
NEW YORK — Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher is expected to miss a week because of a strained left hamstring.
New York manager Joe Girardi gave the update on Swisher before Monday night’s game against Baltimore. Girardi said the team hoped Swisher would be ready to play a week from today at home against Tampa Bay, and did not need to put him on the disabled list.
Swisher said an MRI exam did not show any extensive damage. He is hitting .284 with six home runs and 23 RBIs.
Matsui signs minor league deal with Rays
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hideki Matsui has signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, and the two-time AL All-Star will report Wednesday to extended spring training in Port Charlotte.
Tampa Bay wants to add depth in the outfield and at designated hitter.
The 37-year-old has played nine seasons in the major leagues, including seven with the New York Yankees.
Matsui has a .285 career average with 173 home runs.