New York Yankees C Gary Sanchez issues apology, ban reduced to three games by MLB

Major League Baseball reduced the suspension of catcher Gary Sanchez to three games.

Sanchez, initially suspended four games, apologized for his role in the benches-clearing-brawl at Detroit that led to multiple suspensions. Sanchez entered the scrum from the Yankees' dugout and landed punches on Miguel Cabrera and Nick Castellanos.

The fracas began when Yankees relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle threw a pitch behind Cabrera. Sanchez was hit in the thigh by a pitch earlier in the game, after hitting his fourth homer in the three-game series.

"I want to apologize for my actions during the last Detroit Tigers series," Sanchez said in a Facebook post. " The heat of the moment and my desire to protect my teammates led me to commit some errors during the brawl. It's an incident I regret and from which I have learned. I know to some these may be mere words, but they are words that I feel the need to express because I sincerely feel this way, and for respect to you, the fans, the Yankees organization, the Detroit Tigers and the game of Baseball."

Sanchez, who is hitting .276 with 28 home runs despite missing several weeks due to injury to start the season, will begin his suspension on Monday and miss the three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Cabrera and Yankees catcher Austin Romine, who was behind the plate when Kahnle threw the brawl-sparking pitch, were also suspended.