Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura began serving an eight-game suspension Saturday and Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado will begin a four-game suspension Sunday for their roles in an on-field fight during a June 7 game.
Ventura, 25, was initially handed a nine-game ban, but Major League Baseball reduced it to eight, beginning with Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers.
Machado, 23, dropped his appeal Saturday, and his suspension will begin in the Orioles' series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
Both players were also fined an undisclosed amount by MLB.
"I think MLB felt it was fair what they gave me, and I don't think they were going to get it down, which is, I mean, it's their opinion against mine," Machado said. "We've got this process. It's done and over. I'll sit down for the four games and be ready to help this team get to the playoffs."
Machado will miss Sunday's game against Toronto, a makeup game in Texas on Monday and a two-game series against San Diego on Tuesday and Wednesday.
He said he is ready to "just get this past us already and keep playing baseball," but also said he had a problem with Ventura's reduced suspension. Because Ventura is a pitcher, he will miss just one start.
"It's not right that he's going to be missing one start and I'm going to be missing four games," Machado said after the Orioles beat Toronto 4-2 on Saturday. "I mean, this whole problem started with him, so why do I get four and he gets one?"
Manager Buck Showalter figured an appeal would have been difficult for Machado to win, so the Orioles and Machado chose to begin the suspension on Sunday.
"It's going to start somewhere," Showalter said, "and it's going to be painful any way you do it."
Ventura hit Machado in the back with a 99 mph fastball in the fifth inning of the Orioles' 9-1 victory over the Royals on June 7. Machado charged the mound and punched Ventura in the head as the benches emptied.
When Machado begins his suspension, his run of 229 consecutive starts, the longest current streak in the majors, will come to an end. He will be eligible to return June 24.
"I'm getting penalized for something that someone else does," Machado said. "I'll start a new streak Friday."
Ventura will be eligible to return June 28, when the Royals play the St. Louis Cardinals. He has made two starts since the brawl, going 2-0.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.