CC Sabathia Suspended 5 Games for Throwing at Jesus Sucre; SP Will Appeal

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia received a five-game suspension from MLB for throwing at Tampa Bay Rays catcher Jesus Sucre on Thursday, The Athletic's Lindsey Adler reported Saturday.

According to Adler, Sabathia will appeal the punishment. ESPN.com's Marly Rivera noted the suspension will apply to the 2019 regular season and not limit Sabathia's availability for the playoffs.

Sabathia was ejected from the Yankees' 12-1 victory after he hit Sucre with the first pitch of the bottom of the sixth inning. The veteran left-hander had apparently taken exception to a fastball high and tight on teammate Austin Romine in the top half of the frame.

In addition to Sabathia's suspension, MLB handed a three-game ban to Rays pitcher Andrew Kittredge, who delivered the pitch to Romine.

For The Win's Andrew Joseph noted the pitch that connected with Sucre was an expensive one for Sabathia, since he'll likely miss out on a $500,000 bonus based on his innings. Sabathia has thrown 153 innings this season; he needs two more to trigger the bonus.

"I don't really make decisions based on money, I guess," Sabathia said, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "I just felt like it was the right thing to do."

Regardless of whether his appeal is successful, Sabathia's suspension won't be too costly for him or the Yankees since he's free to feature in the postseason.