Former Yankee at center of Padres-Orioles drama that resulted in suspensions

Ron Marinaccio doesn't just sound like my neighbor from Jersey or a character in My Cousin Vinnie, he's a former New York Yankee, and a fan favorite at that. Marinaccio gave the Yankees some of his best years, pitching to a 2.05 ERA in 40 appearances in 2022 and maintaining his role as a key factor in the New York bullpen the following two seasons.

Marinaccio has since moved on, of course, stirring up drama with the San Diego Padres against a familiar foe. The 30-year-old right-hander is no stranger to Baltimore, as he has a career 2.95 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 14 appearances against the Orioles since 2022. His most recent outing, though, took this friendly rivalry to the next level.

Former Yankee Ron Marinaccio suspended after Padres-Orioles incident

Marinaccio stood up for teammate Xander Bogaerts in a recent conflict with the Orioles. If that's a weird sentence to hear as a Yankee fan — Marinaccio intentionally hitting an opposing hitter to stand up for a longtime Red Sox star — I can't blame you! This is the sport we chose, and the luxury tax era they appropriate, but that's a rant for a different day. Marinaccio plunked Gunnar Henderson in retaliation for the Orioles hitting Bogaerts. He was subsequently ejected, as was Padres manager Craig Stammen.

As is to be expected in these matters, Marinaccio claimed after the game that he did not throw at Henderson on purpose. Stammen had his back, but none of it mattered to MLB. Players, especially pitchers, never admit to these things on camera, but we all know what goes on behind the scenes.

“He's a great hitter. You’ve got to make hitters like that uncomfortable at times, and I pulled a fastball a little bit too much there,” Marinaccio said at the time. “I could understand the visual, a couple guys pitching inside earlier, but there were no warnings.”

We respect the effort, but as Henderson pointed out after that game (and as MLB's disciplinary committee surely saw as well), the Padres tried to hit him twice previously.

“They had their two opportunities in my previous at-bat and missed, so I thought that should have been the end of it,” Henderson said. “We hit somebody of theirs, and obviously weren’t trying to, but it is what it is. You had your opportunity to get it back, and they did and missed. So that should have been it.”

If this drama sounds tired, that's because it is. We all know how this ends. Bogaerts was hit by a pitch. The Padres retaliated by going after Henderson, who is the Orioles' best offensive player. Neither dugout was happy. In some cases, players confront each other from the dugout and the benches clear, but rarely does that result in punches thrown these days. In this case, Marinaccio got three games.

What went wrong for Ron Marinaccio with the Yankees?

Again, Marinaccio was a fan favorite for the Yankees, especially during the 2022 season when the Toms River, NJ native starred out of the New York bullpen. Marinaccio often found himself in high-leverage situations, but snuck out unscathed.

Eventually, that run of luck came to an end. Whether it be his release point, lack of poise and control on the mound, or injuries, Marinaccio needed a fresh start. After a brief cameo with the Chicago White Sox, the right-hander landed in San Diego with some familiar faces (at the time) in Michael King, Jhony Brito and even Wandy Peralta.

Marinaccio has found his home in San Diego. In a recent interview, he even compared the Padres bullpen to the Yankees' group of old. He's even pitching like his old self, too, albeit with a little extra bite.

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