HOUSTON – Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco was ejected from his start Tuesday after testing positive for a foreign substance before the fourth inning.
Blanco threw 54 pitches against the Oakland Athletics. The referees never objected to him during the substance test before the fourth round.
All four umpires checked Blanco’s glove before he came to the mound to begin warm-up shots. Team boss Laz Díaz sent off Blanco after a brief conference with the other three referees.
Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco was ejected after testing positive for a foreign substance.
His glove was confiscated and he is now suspended for 10 games.
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Blanco offered his bare hand to all jurors for inspection, but otherwise did not contest his case. The first referee Erich Bacchus took Blanco’s glove to the referee club.
The glove is now under scrutiny by Major League Baseball, which has introduced stricter foreign substance rules for the 2021 season. If Blanco violates the rules, he will be suspended for 10 games, during which time Houston will not be able to replace him in the active template.
Blanco had a 2.23 ERA in Tuesday’s start and became one of baseball’s most surprising stories.
The 30-year-old right-hander had a hit in his first start of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays and helped stabilize an Astros rotation that had been ravaged by injuries.
Losing Blanco for 10 games hurts Houston’s pitching staff. Houston has the highest ERA in the American League and is on a streak of 16 games without a day off.
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(Foto: Logan Riely/Getty Images)
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2024-05-15 02:11:30
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