The Final 9

By Amalie Benjamin

The fallout from Thursday night's on-field brawl was far more than the scratches and abrasions that lined Coco Crisp's face. Around 5:15 p.m. yesterday, word came down that eight Red Sox and Rays players had been suspended by Major League Baseball disciplinarian Bob Watson for a total of 38 games, the longest bans going to the primary participants, Crisp and Tampa Bay pitcher James Shields.

Crisp received the most severe punishment, a seven-game suspension, with teammates Jon Lester (five) and Sean Casey (three) joining him. For the Rays, Shields got six games, Jonny Gomes and Edwin Jackson five, Carl Crawford four, and Akinori Iwamura three.

When asked about his suspension before last night's 8-0 loss to the Mariners, Crisp said, "I don't know nothing about it yet." But he appealed it and also said he wasn't surprised about the outcome, which included fines for each of the suspended players, saying, "Everybody gets suspended that charges the mound."

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