Padres' Robert Suarez Suspension Reduced to Two Games for Hitting Shohei Ohtani

San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez had his suspension for hitting Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani reduced from three games to two after dropping his appeal. Suarez was ejected for hitting Ohtani in the shoulder during a heated game marked by multiple hit batters and a benches-clearing brawl, which also led to one-game suspensions for Padres manager Mike Shildt and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Suarez maintained that the pitch was unintentional, stating he was simply trying to close out the game. Despite the initial suspension, Suarez remained eligible to pitch while appealing and recently earned his 22nd save with back-to-back scoreless outings. He is expected to begin serving the two-game suspension starting with a game against the Washington Nationals, missing two games due to the team's off day. The incident followed a series of tensions including Dodgers pitcher Jack Little hitting Fernando Tatis Jr., which escalated the rivalry between the teams.