More details in the Nyjer Morgan situation are coming to the surface, the latest being that Morgan and a fan had an “ongoing dialogue” going before the outfielder threw the ball into the stands according to an MLB Official speaking to the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore.
The back-and-forth with Morgan and the fan escalated until Morgan threw a ball into the crowd, which hit a different fan in the head.
Kilgore also reports that the Morgan incident has some precedence dating back to last season.
Last season, MLB fined Tigers closer Fernando Rodney and suspended him for three games for firing a ball into the press box at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay. In that case no one was harmed and Rodney claimed he was trying to throw the ball to fans. After an appeal, Rodney’s suspension was lessened to three games.
Even if Morgan wins his appeal, then, we should probably still be able to expect that he will miss the three games Rodney did.