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It’s not very often you see players trying to fight fans, but it happened Thursday night at Comerica Park.
As the second game of the doubleheader between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers was heading into a rain delay, reliever Dennis Santana was caught on video trying to punch a fan in the outfield.
The Pirates reliever has been stellar this season recording a 1.74 ERA heading into Thursday. Despite having a few seasons of team control, he was reportedly drawing interest and listed as a candidate to be traded to the Boston Red Sox ahead of the trade deadline.
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“The 29-year-old journeyman is having the best season of his career, posting a 1.74 ERA with five saves in 31 appearances for the Pirates,” Mark Feinsand wrote for MLB.com. “Santana is one of a number of quality relievers who could be moved this summer, but his $1.4 million salary and two years of club control make him an attractive candidate for teams of all market sizes.”
Feinsand went on to list the Red Sox as a possible fit along with the Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians. However, all of them may look to pursue other options with Santana throwing punches at fans.
Major League Baseball will surely investigate the situation, but that doesn’t excuse Santana’s behavior. However, a moment of frustration may have just cost him a chance to compete for the World Series in a few months.
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