Red Sox hurler Ryan Dempster was suspended by Major League Baseball five games for hitting Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez just once during a game in Boston.

Highly criticized by fans and local media, at least one teammate said Dempster “didn’t have the guts to plunk the S.O.B. the second time he came to the plate. “

“Dempster’s got no stones. If Pedro Martinez was still on the club, A-Rod’s cabeza would have been swimming in the back bay.”

“We’re sorely disappointed that Ryan Dempster did not act in the best interest of baseball,” Commissioner Bud Selig told MLB.com.

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