BC-BBO--Baseball Suspensions

Suspensions of one month or more issued by the commissioner of baseball that were not related to on-field incidents or drugs:

March 12, 1921 - Chicago White Sox pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude "Lefty" Williams, first baseman Chick Gandil, shortstop Charles "Swede" Risberg, third baseman Buck Weaver, outfielders "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Happy Felsh and infielder Fred McMullen suspended by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. (The players were suspended by the team on Sept. 28, 1920, following their indictment on charges of throwing the 1919 World Series. Gandil was already on suspension in a salary dispute). The players were acquitted on Aug. 3, 1921, but banned for life by Landis the following day. "Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a ballgame, no player that entertains proposals or promises to throw a game, no player that sits in conference with a bunch of crooked players and gamblers where the ways and means of throwing games are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball," Landis wrote.

March 24, 1921 - Philadelphia Phillies infielder Gene Paulette banned indefinitely by Landis for allegedly accepting loan from Elmer Farrar of St. Louis that was tied to gambling scheme. Paulette never was reinstated.

April 7, 1921 - New York Giants outfielder Benny Kauff suspended indefinitely by Landis following his indictment on charges auto theft and possession of a stolen car. "An indictment charging felonious misconduct by a player certainly charges conduct detrimental to the good repute of baseball." Kauff was acquitted on May 13 but Landis refused to reinstate him. A lawsuit filed by Kauff against the commissioner for reinstatement was dismissed.

Aug. 18, 1922 - New York Giants pitcher Phil Douglas banned for life by club for writing a letter to St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Leslie Mann asking him to throw a game. Mann gave letter to Branch Rickey, who sent it to Landis. The commissioner backed ban, saying Douglas' letter was "tragic and deplorable."

Oct. 1, 1924 - New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O'Connell and coach Cozy Dolan banned for life by Landis for offering $500 bribe to Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Heinie Sand to throw game on Sept. 27, 1924. Sand told Phillies manager Art Fletcher, who told Landis.

Nov. 23, 1943 - Philadelphia Phillies president William D. Cox banned for life by Landis for making "approximately 15 or 20 bets" of "from $25 to $100 per game on Philadelphia to win." Cox was forced to sell his share of the team to Ruly M. Carpenter Jr.

Aug. 16, 1946 - Eighteen players - catcher Mickey Owen, infielder-outfielder Roland Gladu and outfielder Luis Olmo of the Brooklyn Dodgers; pitchers Ace Adams, Harry Feldman, Sal Maglie and Adrian Zabala, infielders George Hausmann, Napolean Reyes and Roy Zimmerman, and outfielder Danny Gardella of the New York Giants; pitchers Max Lanier, Fred Martin and Lou Klein of the St. Louis Cardinals; pitcher Alex Carrasquel of the Chicago White Sox; infielder Murray Franklin of the Detroit Tigers; outfielder Robert Escalella of the Philadelphia Athletics, and outfielder Rene Monteagudo of the Philadelphia Phillies - suspended for five years by Commissioner Happy Chandler for jumping to the Mexican League. Suspensions lifted on June 5, 1949.

April 9, 1947 - Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher suspended for one year by Commissioner Chandler "as a result of the accumulation of unpleasant incidents in which he has been involved which the commissioner construes as detrimental to baseball." Chandler refused to say if the incidents included associations with gamblers.

1953 - Commissioner Ford Frick informally ordered Fred Saigh to sell the St. Louis Cardinals after Saigh was sentenced to 15 months in prison for a no-contest plea to a tax-evasion charge.

Feb. 19, 1970 - Detroit Tigers pitcher Denny McLain suspended indefinitely by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for "involvement in 1967 bookmaking activities and his associations at that time." On April 1, Kuhn said suspension would continue to July 1, finding "McLain's association in 1967 with gamblers was contrary to his obligation as a professional baseball player to conform to high standards of personal conduct." Kuhn said it was his judgment that this conduct was not in the best interests of baseball." McLain suspended for remainder of season on Sept. 9 for violating terms of his baseball probation.

Nov. 27, 1974 - New York Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner suspended by Kuhn for two years under "best interests" clause following guilty plea to conspiracy to make illegal campaign contributions. Suspension lifted on March 1, 1976, for good behavior.

Jan. 2, 1977 - Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner suspended for one year by Kuhn for tampering with San Francisco Giants outfielder Gary Matthews. Suspension lifted on March 19 after Turner filed suit. Reimposed June 3 after suspension upheld. Suspension temporarily lifted on Nov. 18 for winter meetings and permanently lifted on Dec. 9 for good behavior.

Aug. 24, 1989 - Pete Rose banned for life from baseball by commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti for gambling.

July 30, 1990 - Following an investigation by commissioner Fay Vincent, Steinbrenner agreed to an indefinite suspension starting on Aug. 20 for his association with and $40,000 payment to Howard Spira, a known gambler sent to prison for extorting the Yankees owner. On July 24, 1992, Vincent ruled that Steinbrenner could be reinstated on March 1, 1993.

Feb. 3, 1993 - Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott suspended for one year and fined $25,000 by executive council for bringing "disrepute and embarrassment" to baseball with her repeated use of racial and ethnic slurs. The suspension was shortened to eight months for good behavior.

June 12, 1996 - Schott, under pressure by major league baseball to step aside after her controversial remarks, agreed to give up day-to-day control of the team through the 1998 season. Schott retains her partnership shares as controlling owner of the team.

March 1, 2016 - New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman, 30 games, for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.

May 13, 2016 - Colorado shortstop Jose Reyes, 51 games (Feb. 23-May 31; 51 games), for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. Was placed on paid administrative leave on Feb. 23 until at least April. On May 13, Reyes was suspended retroactively until May 31.

May 26, 2016 - Atlanta Braves outfielder Hector Olivera, 82 games (April 30-Aug. 1), for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.

June 8, 2018 - San Diego Padres relief pitcher Jose Torres, 100 games (June 5), for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.

June 22, 2018 - Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Roberto Osuna, 75 games (Sept. 25), for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.

Oct. 3, 2018 - Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell, 40 games (Sept. 21), for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.

July 5, 2019 - Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera, 85 games (June 24-Sep. 29), for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.

Jan. 2, 2020 - New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German, 81 games (Sept. 19, 2019-June 3, 2020) for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.

Jan. 13, 2020 - Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow, 2020 season, for sign-stealing by the team in 2017 and 2018 season.

Jan. 13, 2020 - Former Houston Astros assistant general manager Brandon Taubman, 2020 season, for his conduct during last year's AL Championship Series, when his profane remarks directed at female reporters.