By Thursday, there was a new fiery narrative added to the Dodgers-Padres rivalry. The idea of tit-for-tat, retaliation, and the star power. In just a week, the Dodgers-Padres matchups earned the title of the bad blood series. Overall, eight batters were hit by pitches, benches were emptied, the managers and players were ejected, and whatnot!

On Friday, Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts, Padres manager Mike Shildt, and pitcher Robert Suarez were collectively suspended for all the chaos between the teams during the late-inning meltdown.

Roberts, still impacted by the escalation, opened up about it to the reporters. “I think that, um, obviously, I never wanted to make the game about the managers. It shouldn’t be. I should be about the players and winning.” But from MLB’s POV, Roberts and Shildt were suspended for their “unsportsmanlike conduct” and for their role in “inciting the benches-clearing incident.” 

“Last night, both the managers were protecting their teams,” Roberts exclaimed on Friday, right before the much-anticipated three-game series between the Dodgers and the Washington Nationals. And speaking of the opening game, there is another unfortunate update.

Dodgers’ first baseman Freddie Freeman is out of the lineup. Revealing the reason behind it, Roberts said, “It’s more of the stretch that we’re in, giving him a day, getting some other guys in there. Obviously he (Freddie Freeman) is still managing his body. And so to give him one day and then get through the weekend, I think it’s just the right decision. He’s just not right mechanically.” It was something that needed to be done, as per Roberts.

He also addressed how Freeman is unable to square up the way he used to. Basically, he has just been hooking balls. For the same reason, we won’t be seeing Freeman against the Nationals. And it’s not just Freeman. The suspension starting immediately means Roberts will be absent from Friday night’s matchup, too. In his absence, “Daniel will manage the club tonight,” he revealed on Friday morning itself.

Certainly, Roberts didn’t see the suspension coming. But he later accepted that Mike Hill—the senior vice president of on-field MLB operations, who made this decision—had perhaps the right reasons. He emphasized being more mindful from the next time onwards.

Why did MLB ultimately have to suspend the Dodgers and Padres managers?

The bench-clearing brawl wasn’t a one-time thing in this series. As big of a deal as it is, it happened twice. Ultimately, after multiple heated exchanges, ejections, and managers’ intense confrontations, MLB had to go ahead with the suspension. And for the record, Roberts Suarez was suspended, too.

In the ninth inning, Jack Little, who made his first appearance in the big leagues, hit Fernando Tatis Jr.’s hand with his pitch. Dodgers fans were heard cheering when Tatis was hit. Padres manager Mike Shildt, in all intensity, confronted Roberts. And later, when Ohtani was hit, manager Roberts was caught saying, “I’m going to beat your a—.”

Not to forget, Manny Machado—the Padres’ third baseman—also sent a firm warning to the Dodgers. Standing firm for his teammate, he said, “They need to set a little candle up for Tatis tomorrow and hope that everything comes back negative.” Well, the X-rays did come back negative. And Tatis made it to Friday’s lineup against the Royals, too.

But nothing went unnoticed by Mike Hill from MLB. He issued the manager’s suspension a few hours after the brawl. Roberts and Shildt are suspended from their respective Friday night games.

Coming to pitcher Suarez, who hit Shohei Ohtani with his pitch, was also handed a three-game suspension. Along with that, he was also fined, which is not disclosed yet.

The Padres and Dodgers are going against each other once again in mid-August. And now, it probably feels scarier than intense.