Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco, who was ejected from Tuesday’s game after umpires found a foreign substance on his glove, has been suspended 10 games by MLB.
Blanco was also fined the amount of which was not disclosed.
The suspension is pending Blanco’s decision to appeal. If he chooses not to appeal, the suspension will take effect Wednesday night, when the Astros continue their series against Oakland.
Third base umpire Laz Diaz ejected Blanco after checking his glove before he threw a pitch in the fourth inning. His glove was confiscated and sent to the commissioner’s office.
“I felt something inside the glove,” said Erich Bacchus. “This is the stickiest substance I’ve felt on a glove since we’ve been doing this for a few years.”
Blanco denied using an illegal substance.
“It’s probably some rosin that I put on my left arm,” he said in Spanish through an interpreter. “It’s possible the sweat got into the glove and that may be what they found.” »
Manager Joe Espada added that when he went to the mound, he saw “white powder” on the inside of Blanco’s glove.
“It seemed to me when I grabbed the glove that there was rosin in it,” Espada said. “You’re not allowed to use rosin on your non-throwing hand, and that’s what seemed to me to be the case. It was a little sticky with the humidity and sweat, but that’s what I saw. »
Blanco, who pitched a scoreless game in his season debut, allowed four hits and struck out one in three scoreless innings Tuesday. He has a 2.09 ERA this season.
MLB began cracking down on foreign substances in June 2021.
2024-05-15 21:10:54
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