19 Dodgers Suspended, Fined for Brawl With Fans

In the largest mass suspension and harshest penalties stemming from one brawl in baseball history, 19 Dodgers were suspended for a total of 84 games and fined $72,000 Wednesday for their roles in a melee with fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago last week.

Continuing its crackdown on inappropriate in-game behavior, the office of the commissioner of baseball suspended and fined 16 Dodger players and three coaches over the melee that erupted in the bottom of the ninth inning of the team’s 6-5 victory.

A fan seated behind the uncovered visitors’ bullpen allegedly struck backup catcher Chad Kreuter on the head and took his cap. Kreuter entered the stands along the right-field line and his teammates and coaches followed, triggering fights that delayed play for nine minutes.

The Dodgers expressed outrage and said they plan to appeal the ruling, which calls for the commissioner’s office to stagger the suspensions. Players are allowed to continue playing while the appeals process unfolds.

“We think this is wrong and unfair,” Dodger Chairman Bob Daly said. “We didn’t get a hearing and believe we deserve a hearing. I don’t like the idea of telling us who we can play and when. It could have a major effect on the whole season.

“As we said in our statement, we believe fans should stay in the stands and players should stay on the field. At the same time, circumstances come up that affect how people react. We feel the penalties were extremely severe, considering some of our players were trying to serve as peacemakers.”

Kreuter received an eight-game suspension and a $5,000 fine. Coaches Glenn Hoffman, Rick Dempsey and John Shelby also were suspended for eight games and fined $5,000 each.

Pitcher Carlos Perez, infielder-outfielder F.P. Santangelo and outfielder Gary Sheffield were suspended for five games and fined $5,000 each. Pitcher Mike Fetters was suspended for four games and fined $4,000.

Pitchers Terry Adams, Darren Dreifort, Eric Gagne, Onan Masaoka, Alan Mills, Antonio Osuna and Chan Ho Park; outfielders Geronimo Berroa and Shawn Green; catcher Todd Hundley; and first baseman Eric Karros were suspended for three games and fined $3,000 each.

Bullpen catcher Travis Barbary, who is not on the team’s roster, also was suspended for five games and fined $5,000.

Dreifort, Kreuter, Osuna and Sheffield were to begin serving their suspensions Wednesday night against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium, but did not because of their appeals.

The Dodgers stand to lose players for a total of 60 games, leaving the team short-handed at times. Suspended players cannot be replaced.

The three fans who were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after the incident are scheduled to appear June 19 in Cook County Circuit Court.

Litigation is expected. Dodger team counsel Sam Fernandez has consulted players about the legal situation.

Frank Robinson, vice president of on-field operations for major league baseball, and Kevin Hallinan, baseball’s executive director of security and facility management, conducted a weeklong investigation that led to the ruling. Robinson spoke with Kreuter and watched videotapes of the incident. Kreuter was the only Dodger interviewed in the investigation.

Several major league officials said a strong message needed to be delivered about intolerable conduct, and Robinson believes that has been accomplished.

“In no way will baseball ever condone uniformed personnel going into the stands,” said Robinson. “There’s no way we can stop it, but it can’t be allowed, and there’s going to be consequences. Just as we’re trying to prevent fans from going onto the field--that type of thing cannot lead to anything good.

“Anybody who went into the stands was going to be penalized. After that, it depended on how aggressive they were, as to the extent of the penalty.”

Players declined to comment after a 20-minute closed-door meeting before Wednesday’s game. But team officials expressed outrage about Robinson’s decision-making process and the severity of the penalties.

“This is unfair and way out of line, and it needs to be reviewed,” Manager Davey Johnson said. “I would just like there to be more study on this, because it sets a very bad precedent. A lot of these guys were not even participating.

“I don’t know what [Robinson is] thinking about. I know he has to make a stand about players going into the stands, but this is just unfair and it has to be looked at. It has to be.”

Dempsey, the bullpen coach, said he tried to play peacemaker. He said he’s confused about what baseball expects from coaches.

“Last year I got suspended for 17 days [for his role in a brawl with the Seattle Mariners], and [then-National League President] Leonard Coleman told me my role in a fight is to serve as a peacemaker,” Dempsey said. “The reason I went into the stands was to pull my guys out of there. I didn’t want to see any players get hurt and I didn’t want to see any fans get hurt.

“I do that, then I get suspended and fined. There seems to be a huge contradiction with what my role is supposed to be as a coach. It just doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.”

Robinson’s latest harsh judgment comes on the heels of his recent decision after an April 22 on-field brawl between the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox.

With the support of Commissioner Bud Selig, Robinson suspended 16 members of the Tigers and White Sox for a total of 82 games and fined a total of 24 players, coaches and managers for their roles in the incident.

Cub first baseman Mark Grace said: “The coaches and players [were suspended] a lot of games, but there’s no surprise there. You can’t go in the stands.”

The Dodgers’ appeals will be heard by Paul Beeston, baseball’s chief operating officer. Robinson said the commissioner’s office is willing to listen.

“My idea is not to destroy the team’s chances [of winning], which is why the penalties were staggered,” he said. “The only thing the commissioner said to me [regarding discipline in general] is that, whatever he feels like I have to do, he’ll back me 100%.

“He never gave me a mandate, he never told me to get tougher, he never said to me we want zero tolerance. I looked at the history and felt that there was need to get a little tougher and a little sterner.”

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Times staff writers Paul Gutierrez, Ross Newhan and Mike Terry contributed to this story.

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* MADCAP SITUATION

The capper to Kreuter incident is, it will probably have wearing effect on Dodger season. C1