Pitcher Sam Dyson banned 1 yr under domestic violence policy

<p>NEW YORK &mdash; Pitcher Sam Dyson was suspended for the 2021 season by Major League Baseball on Friday under the domestic violence policy of the league and the players’ association.</p>
<p>The 32-year-old free agent last played in 2019 for San Francisco and Minnesota.</p>
<p>MLB began investigating Dyson in 2019 after a woman wrote two lengthy social media posts alleging domestic violence by an unnamed individual. The woman later told The Athletic that Dyson physically abused her.</p>
<p>The Athletic reported she provided photos showing bruises on her arms she said were caused by Dyson. She also claimed Dyson physically harmed her cat.</p>
<p>“My office has completed its investigation," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. Dyson violated our policy and that discipline is appropriate.”</p>
<p>MLB said Dyson will participate in a confidential evaluation and treatment program supervised by its joint policy board.</p>
<p>Dyson is 24-23 with a 3.40 ERA in one start and 375 relief appearances for Toronto (2012), Miami (2013-15), Texas (2015-17), San Francisco (2017-19) and Minnesota, which obtained him from the Giants on July 19, 2019, for three players. </p>
<p>He is best known for allowing a tiebreaking, three-run homer to Toronto’s José Bautista in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the 2015 AL Division Series, a game the Blue Jays won 6-3 to advance. Bautista then glared at the pitcher and emphatically and memorably flipped his bat.</p>
<p>He became one of about 15 players disciplined under the domestic violence policy since 2016, the first since New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán served an 81-game suspension that started in September 2019 and ran through last season.</p>
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