Major League Baseball (MLB) has suspended St. Louis Cardinals All-Star catcher Yadier Molina for five games for making contact with an umpire and spraying him with spittle during a heated confrontation.

The incident took place when Molina was ejected from Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers for arguing a called third strike during the 10th inning.

From Reuters.com:

Molina’s suspension was scheduled to begin on Thursday when the Cardinals played the Florida Marlins in Miami. If he appeals the ruling, the suspension will be held in abeyance until the process is completed.

The three-time All-Star is batting .293 with 40 runs batted in this season for a Cardinals team that is 3-1/2 games back of the National League Central division-leading Brewers.

St. Louis went on to win the game 8-7 in 11 innings.