93.7 The Fan’s pre and post-game host, Dan Zangrilli, is reporting there’s more to the story of Pirates’ reliever Dennis Santana taking a swipe at a fan in Detroit last week.
Zangrilli tells The Fan Morning Show and the PM Team that he is hearing peanuts were thrown at Santana while he was in the bullpen during Thursday night’s 8-4 Pirates win against the Tigers in game two of a doubleheader.
That wasn’t all.
“Basically, there were some racial undertones that were hurled his way,” said Zangrilli.
He said the hecklers in the stands also mentioned Santana’s recently-deceased father.
“This isn’t coming first hand from Santana, this is from a few different people that I’ve heard this from,” added Zangrilli.
During his weekly show, General Manager Ben Cherington said:
“What I did hear was really concerning, the type of language that was being used. Language that would have affected any of us if we were in the shoes of someone in the bullpen, feel strongly about that. We know, I know, Dennis knows, fans are precious to us and we can’t do that.”
Santana was suspended four games and fined by Major League Baseball following the incident. That decision has been appealed.
After the game Thursday, Santana said, through an interpreter that someone “crossed the line a few times” and pointed to his usually steady demeanor.
Several Pirates reporters have commented that Santana is always even-keeled in the locker room.