Major League Baseball

Blue Jays' Brett Lawrie drops appeal

Published May. 17, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

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Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie will begin serving a four-game suspension Thursday night for throwing his helmet into home plate umpire Bill Miller.

Major League Baseball handed down the penalty Wednesday, a day after Lawrie went ballistic on Miller over two called strikes that appeared to be outside the strike zone in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Rays.

Lawrie, who was also fined an undisclosed amount, maintained he did not mean to hit Miller with the helmet.

He played in Wednesday night's 8-1 victory over the Yankees at Rogers Centre, going 0-4 with two strikeouts.

In a strange twist, Miller was stationed at third base, right next to the 22-year-old Lawrie, who has now dropped his appeal and will be eligible to return Monday at Tampa Bay.

Lawrie will sit out Thursday night's contest against the Yankees, along with the three-game weekend series against the Mets.

Lawrie apologized after the game and also talked to Miller before Wednesday's game to express his regrets.

The British Columbia native, drafted 16th overall by Milwaukee in 2008, is hitting .281 this season with three home runs and 17 RBI.

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