The Mets paid the price for throwing behind Milwaukee’s Rhys Hoskins in Saturday’s loss at Citi Field, with both manager Carlos Mendoza and right-hander Yohan Ramirez disciplined by MLB on Sunday.
Mendoza and Ramirez were both fined and suspended, with Mendoza serving his one-game ban on Sunday and Ramirez choosing to appeal his suspension, which made him available for Sunday’s series finale, when he pitched three innings in a 4-1 loss.
“I was really surprised when I got here to the ballpark and they gave me that news right before I went out to the field,’’ Ramirez said through an interpreter of the suspension. “That’s why I decided to appeal it.”
Bench coach John Gibbons served as manager on Sunday and said he found out around noon, not long before most of the team found out.
“It was all kind of a whirlwind,’’ Brandon Nimmo said of Mendoza’s suspension.
The ruling came after Hoskins angered the Mets with a controversial — but legal — slide into second base on Friday, which caused Jeff McNeil to yell at Hoskins and for the benches to clear.
On Saturday, Hoskins — long a pest to the Mets from his days with the Phillies — was booed throughout the game and responded by reaching base four times.
In the seventh, Ramirez threw high and behind Hoskins, which resulted in Ramirez being ejected. He received an ovation from the Citi Field crowd as he left the field.
On Sunday, Ramirez again denied intent.
“I knew I would appeal because I know it wasn’t intentional,’’ Ramirez said. “Like I said, my pitch runs a lot and my sinker runs in.”
Ramirez also hit 11 batters in just 38 ¹/₃ innings last year split between the Pirates and White Sox.
On Sunday, he gave up two runs over his three innings, when he helped give the Mets some length out of the bullpen — not an uncommon maneuver by a team with a player that could end up being suspended.
And it led to another battle between Hoskins and Ramirez, this time in the fifth, with Ramirez going up and in on Hoskins before getting the strikeout.
“It’s a little bit uncomfortable, with the situation that happened [Saturday],’’ Ramirez said. “But you can’t give up. You continue to battle.”
