There was indeed a price to pay.

Rick Porcello paid it.

A day after his manager went off in his postgame comments about the Tampa Bay Rays’ Fernando Rodney throwing up and in on Miguel Cabrera, saying “there’s a price to pay,” Porcello was the one to exact the price, plunking Ben Zobrist in the first inning Sunday.

[View video of the play here.]

Now, Porcello is paying the price, suspended for six games by Major League Baseball, which ruled he intentionally threw at Zobrist. He was also fined an undisclosed amount.

Here was Leyland's "price to pay" rant from after Saturday's game, courtesy of Chris Iott of MLive:

"I don't care about throwing inside, but I don't like it up there," Leyland said. "We will not tolerate that. You can take that to the bank. We won't tolerate that up at the head, with anybody, not (just) Cabrera, but anybody. I'm not accusing anybody of anything, but we won't tolerate that. If you're going to just rare back and throw it, you can't throw it there. If you throw it down at the legs in or something for a purpose, I don't have any problem with that. But not upstairs.
"That'll cause a lot of problems for people," Leyland continued. "That's as simple as it is. That's not a good idea. That's not acceptable. If you want to throw inside, I have no problem with that. The old (expletive) about the one getting away, he's pitched long enough that they don't get away up there in that area, in my opinion. That won't be tolerated. You can take that to the bank. That's not acceptable. Like I say, if you want to throw down at the legs, or you're throwing, trying to come in there. And I'm not saying he was trying to hit him or anything, but you're going to throw head-high in there, that's not acceptable."
"I don't have any problem pitching inside," he continued. "It was a great challenge with two -- Rodney's a very good pitcher -- and a great hitter. It was a great confrontation, which Rodney won, and I don't have any problem with anybody pitching inside, that's none of my business, you have to do that. I agree with that 100 percent. But not up around the head. That's not acceptable."

Warnings were issued by the umpires in Sunday's game, but Porcello was not ejected. Rays manager Joe Maddon said after the game he wanted MLB to look into the incident.

"I thought it was absolutely uncalled for, and hopefully the league will take a look at it," Maddon told reporters, as described by The Associated Press.

"I just assumed it would happen today at some point because of what was said last night," Zobrist said afterward, as reported by The Associated Press. "I just said to one of the umpires on the way to first, I was like, `Hey, that was intentional. You guys know it. I think we should do something about that.' But they chose not to."

Porcello’s next turn in the rotation is due to come Friday. Unless he appeals the suspension, the Tigers will have to fill that spot with another spot start from a minor leaguer.

[CLICK HERE TO READ MY COLUMN ON THE WHOLE SITUATION]