Phillies fan says Nyjer Morgan was only being playful in incident that landed him a seven-game suspension - MLB

This is interesting.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post received an e-mail from a Phillies fan Thursday who was sitting in the Citizens Bank Park center field stands last week when Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan supposedly hit a man in the head with a thrown ball.

Morgan was suspended seven games by Major League Baseball on Wednesday for that incident. He has since appealed, and it sounds like he might have a case.

Kilgore was told by the e-mailer that Morgan was only being playful with the Phillies faithful in center field that night and that the thrown ball that hit a fan had a harmless “rainbow-style” arc. The only reason it struck the man was because he was looking the other way.

Morgan, according to the e-mailer, intended for the ball to land in the hands of a 12-year-old boy who was sitting nearby. Perhaps this entire situation and the subsequent punishment deserves another look by the MLB commissioner’s office.

ST. LOUIS — Miles Mikolas is sticking with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The right-hander signed a three-year, $55.75 million contract on Friday that will carry through the 2025 season.

The new deal replaces a $68 million, four-year contract signed in February 2019 that covered the 2020-23 seasons and was set to pay $15.75 million this year.

Mikolas will receive a $5 million signing bonus payable July 1 and will make $18.75 million in 2023 and $16 million in each of the following two seasons. Mikolas can earn a $250,000 bonus for winning a Cy Young Award, $50,000 for All-Star election or selection or winning a Gold Glove, $100,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $150,000 for World Series MVP.

Mikolas is scheduled to make the second opening-day start of his big league career next Thursday when the Cardinals host Toronto. Mikolas went 12-13 with a 3.29 ERA last season while helping St. Louis to the NL Central title.

“Miles stands among the top pitchers in the game today, and has continued to provide a steady presence for us both in the rotation and inside the clubhouse,” St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement.

Mikolas is 45-40 with a 3.79 in 143 games with San Diego, Texas and St. Louis. He recently pitched six shutout innings in two appearances for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic.