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Ex-Ray Matt Joyce suspended for gay slur

 
Matt Joyce
Matt Joyce
Published Aug. 6, 2017

Oakland OF Matt Joyce, a former Ray and Armwood High standout, received a two-game suspension without pay Saturday for directing a gay slur toward a fan in Anaheim, and he will take part in a public outreach initiative with PFLAG, a family and ally organization supporting the LGBTQ community.

Major League Baseball said Joyce's penalty was set to begin Saturday, when he also apologized through the team. Joyce said he is "beyond sorry," and the Athletics also made a statement insisting his language was unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated.

The A's are donating more than $54,000 of Joyce's lost salary to PFLAG.

"First and foremost I'd like to start by apologizing to everyone, especially the fans, the Oakland A's, the bay area — they've been awesome to me — MLB, and obviously, the LGBTQ community, whom I have a lot of respect for," Joyce, 33, said before Saturday's game. "I'm deeply ashamed and embarrassed at my actions and the language that I did use. It's very uncharacteristic of me."

The exchange occurred in the eighth inning of Los Angeles' 8-6 win after Angels 1B C.J. Cron made a diving stop of Joyce's hard-hit grounder.

As Joyce returned to the dugout, he uttered several profanities at the fan, called him a gay slur and challenged him to fight.

Numbers of the day

43-7 Record by the Dodgers since June 7, the best 50-game run by any team since the 1912 New York Giants compiled the same mark from May 14 to July 3.

10 Home runs hit by Dodgers rookie 1B/OF Cody Bellinger, out of 31 total, that have tied the score or given Los Angeles the lead.

12 First-inning home runs this season by Nationals RF Bryce Harper, three more than any other player.

Extras

. Slumping Yankees OF/DH Matt Holliday could be headed to the disabled list with a sore lower back. Holliday tweaked his back swinging Friday and was not in the lineup the next night.

. Royals C Salvador Perez has a strained intercostal muscle on the right side of his chest and could be headed to the DL.

. The Orioles sent RHP Chris Tillman to the bullpen, where they hope he can regain the form that enabled him to anchor the rotation since 2013. Tillman has an 8.10 ERA in 15 starts.

. The Mariners put RHP Felix Hernandez on the 10-day DL, retroactive to Wednesday, with biceps tendinitis. Hernandez was scheduled to start against the Royals. LHP Marco Gonzalez was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to take his rotation turn.

. Angels RHP Matt Shoemaker, who suffered a setback Friday during a bullpen session while rehabbing a nagging forearm injury that has caused him to miss 51 games, is considering season-ending surgery.

. The Rockies placed rookie LHP Kyle Freeland on the 10-day DL a day after he left his start because of a left groin strain.

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. The Pirates acquired veteran utility INF and former Ray Sean Rodriguez from the Braves for minor-league INF Connor Joe.