Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick barreled into Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy for a scary collision at home plate last Sunday. There was much debate afterward concerning Marisnick's intent and whether he should be punished -- replay showed he had veered inside the plate. (St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina even weighed in through social media, calling on the league to take action.) On Thursday, Major League Baseball deemed that Marisnick should face punishment, suspending him for two games:

Marisnick will appeal the suspension:

Here's Joe Torre's statement on the matter:

Here's a look at the play, for those who missed it the first go around. Be warned: it's nasty.

Marisnick later took to social media to explain himself, saying "I thought the play was going to end up on the outside of the plate. I made a split second decision at full speed to slide head first on the inside part of the plate. That decision got another player hurt and I feel awful." He also passed along well wishes to Lucroy.

Lucroy was taken to the hospital after the collision. He suffered a fractured nose and concussion and will miss an unspecified amount of time. The 33-year-old had hit .237/.307/.364 in 73 games for the Angels.

Marisnick, 28, hit .250/.309/.466 during the first half for the Astros, who will resume their season on Thursday against the Texas Rangers.

The play was under particular scrutiny because it seemed to violate the Posey Rule instituted several years ago in order to curb devastating home-plate collisions. A few years ago, we published an in-depth look at catchers and concussions.