HOUSTON -- Brewers co-closer Abner Uribe drew a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine from Major League Baseball on Friday afternoon for what the league described as “his inappropriate actions” toward the Cardinals’ dugout during Tuesday’s game at American Family Field.
In other words, for losing his temper.
Then he helped the Brewers win a game Friday night by keeping his cool.
With his punishment held in abeyance while Uribe appeals, he cooly escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the ninth inning to extend the game for Christian Yelich to win it with his legs in the 10th, sending the Brewers to a 5-4 victory over the Astros at Daikin Park.
“My mentality today was the same as it was any other day,” Uribe said.
But it was not any other day for the Brewers, in so many different ways. David Hamilton, MLB’s leader in bunt hits, homered for the first time this season. Right-hander Coleman Crow, one of the unproven pitchers who have helped keep the team afloat, lasted four shaky innings.
And the defense that has been the Brewers’ calling card in recent seasons faltered. First, when Luis Rengifo’s costly throwing error turned a double-play ball into the start of a three-run Astros’ rally in the fourth inning. Then, when shortstop Joey Ortiz, who’d just come into the game as a pinch-runner the last half-inning, fielded a bouncer in the bottom of the ninth and threw low to first baseman Jake Bauers, who couldn’t come up with it.
Three batters later, Uribe was pitching with the bases loaded, one out and the top of Houston’s order coming up.
“We didn’t play defense behind him, but he settled in and did the job,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “That’s what we expect of him.”
Uribe dialed in to strike out Brice Matthews and get Isaac Paredes on a short pop-up, setting the stage for Yelich to advance and score on a couple of fly balls in the 10th, and for Trevor Megill to strand the tying runner at third in the bottom of the inning for the Brewers’ 21st victory in their last 28 games.
Of Uribe’s 22 appearances so far this season, he put this one at the top of the list.
“Best one of the year,” he said.
His last outing was memorable for a different reason. On Tuesday, after securing an inning-ending strikeout in what became a 6-0 Brewers win, Uribe pounded his chest, pointed to the sky and then turned to the Cardinals’ dugout and gestured several times in a way Murphy later described as “unacceptable” and unofficial Brewers captain Yelich called “over the top.”
MLB agreed, and so Michael Hill, the league’s senior vice president for on-field operations, announced a suspension that was scheduled to be served Friday evening. Uribe then exercised his right to appeal.
“I don’t know the exact protocol here, but we accept the fact that MLB has a job to do, and I’ll be the first one to say that what Abner did is unacceptable,” Murphy said. “I’m not going to make any other statements about what's fair and what’s not fair. I don’t have the full view of how it all works and what goes on behind it. Abner had the right to appeal, he’s done that and I support him on that.
“We’ve handled it internally, what we needed to do. He clearly understands. He’s clearly made the apologies he needed to make. It was sincere. I know the kid very well and I’m happy with that.”
It’s not the first time the 25-year-old, hard-throwing right-hander has drawn discipline. In 2024, Uribe was suspended six games for throwing a punch at Rays outfielder Jose Siri during an April game at American Family Field. He appealed and had the penalty reduced to four games, but had been demoted to the Minors in the meantime, so Uribe did not serve that suspension until the start of the 2025 season.
When he returned, Uribe was a model citizen and a terrific bullpen performer for the Brewers, pitching 80 games in the 2025 regular season and postseason with a 1.77 ERA, and ascending to the closer’s role after Megill went down in August with a forearm injury.
Megill and Uribe have split ninth-inning duties so far this season. Uribe has a 3.98 ERA and is 5-for-7 so far in save opportunities.
“He picked up his teammates [tonight],” said Megill. “The steps he’s taken and where he’s at today, I’m impressed by it. It’s something that happened and something we can get past.”
Regarding Murphy’s assertion that the Brewers handled the matter internally, Uribe was in the bullpen but did not pitch in Wednesday’s series finale against the Cardinals, a Brewers comeback victory that completed a three-game sweep. Asked whether Uribe was available that day, Murphy said, “Not for me.”
But he was available Friday. Now, while still awaiting the outcome of his appeal, Uribe is ready to move on.
“We don’t want to distract ourselves from what our goal is here,” he said. “We want to stay focused on winning games. I think we did a good job of going out there today and showing that.”