Chris Perez willing to pay the price for his Tweets

SEATTLE -- A $750 fine is not going to take the Tweet out of Chris Perez.

The Tribe's closer says his Tweeting style isn't going to change and that he may appeal the fine imposed on him by Joe Garagiola Jr., MLB's dean of discipline, stemming from the Tweet he posted following Saturday night's dispute between the Indians and Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

In the letter Perez received from MLB on Wednesday informing him of the fine, Garagiola told Perez he "demonstrated a reckless disregard for the players on both clubs."

"To me that would be saying to the Royals, 'Look out, I'm coming for you. And then hitting somebody. Inciting it,'" said Perez. "Looking back, nothing happened [Sunday]. We played a regular game. Nothing happened the rest of [Saturday], I pitched that night. I don't see where the reckless disregard for the players safety was."

Three Indians were ejected Saturday in the third inning of their 11-9 victory over the Royals -- starting pitcher Jeanmar Gomez, third baseman Jack Hannahan and manager Manny Acta. Gomez was suspended five games and fined for hitting Kansas City's Mike Moustakas after Royals left-hander Jonathan Sanchez hit Shin-Soo Choo in the top of the third. Hannahan was fined $500 and Acta was fined an undisclosed amount.

Gomez and Acta were automatically ejected because warnings had been issued after Choo was hit. Hannahan was ejected for his actions during the two bench-clearing incidents.

"I'm still kind of baffled that I got fined more than someone who got thrown out of the game," said Perez. "How do you justify that? [Hannahan] got thrown out of the game for being aggressive and instigating and he got fined less than I did?

"But I showed reckless disregard for safety? I just don't understand."

Two years ago team president Mark Shapiro embraced Twitter and other social media platforms as a way for the Indians to reach out to their fans. He encouraged players to open accounts. Shapiro, GM Chris Antonetti and Acta have their own accounts.

"For me, I think our players have been extremely responsible and done a good job promoting the team, the game and themselves," said Shapiro. "I look at this as a learning opportunity."

Shapiro said that when he read Perez's Tweet, "I thought that's probably borderline. I think that quote probably would have been disciplined no matter where it appeared."

Here Perez's Tweet: "Huge team win tonight, time for a sweep of the Royals. It's not 'Our Time,' it's TribeTime. P.S. You hit us, we hit you. Period."
The Royals slogan this year is "Our Time." Perez said he read MLB's and the Indians' social media policies. He did not feel he crossed any lines.
"It's freedom of speech," said Perez. "I felt I was within my rights as an American."

Perez is one of several players who have been fined over the last two seasons for what MLB determined to be inappropriate Tweets. When asked what his thoughts were on the subject, Acta said, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion ... and their own thoughts."

Shapiro believes Twitter represents a good opportunity for the Indians to bond with their fans.

"There will always be a line ... instances that require judgment," he said. "Sometimes mistakes will be made."

Perez, in his own way, agreed with Shapiro's take.

"You have to take the good and the bad," he said. "I don't think it was that bad, unless you're the Royals. But who cares? We're not the Royals. We're not supposed to be friends with them. I don't have any friends on that team and I don't really care for them all that much."


(cleveland.com)