Pirates' Dennis Santana Suspended Four Games After Run-In With Fan

The pitcher is appealing MLB's decision.

Dennis Santana pitches against the Diamondbacks. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On Thursday, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana made headlines by briefly swinging at a fan in Detroit before being quickly removed from the bullpen by his teammates.

Now, the veteran pitcher is facing the consequences. Major League Baseball is suspending Santana four games "for his aggressive conduct," it announced in a Friday evening release. Santana is appealing the suspension.

The 29-year-old is in his eighth different season with his fifth different team. In 31 1/3 innings pitched for the Pirates this year, Santana has a 2-1 record with a 1.72 ERA and 25 strikeouts. His 1.4 bWAR is already a career high, and he's shaved more than a third of an earned run off his career ERA in 2025.

Dennis Santana has been suspended four games. He is appealing the decision pic.twitter.com/6xF1ZBrotv

— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) June 20, 2025

The incident came during a doubleheader between Pittsburgh and the Detroit Tigers, split between the two teams. The Tigers won one game 9–2, while the Pirates won the other (in which Santana pitched) 8–4.

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