Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco receives 10-game suspension after ‘sticky stuff’ found on gloves
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco has received a 10-game suspension from the MLB after a sticky substance was found in his glove during a game against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday.
The right-hander was ejected prior to the fourth inning after umpires found the “foreign substance” during a routine check.
Michael Hill, MLB’s Senior Vice President of On-Field Operations, announced the suspension on Wednesday. Blanco was also fined an undisclosed fee.
“Unless appealed, the suspension of Blanco will become effective tonight, when the Astros are to continue their series vs. Oakland. If Blanco elects to appeal, then the discipline will be held in abeyance until that process is complete,” an MLB statement said.
According to MLB.com, Blanco said he had put rosin on his left arm and it made its way into the glove because he was sweating.
Players are permitted to use sweat and rosin, which helps to grip the ball, on their hands, but too much of either substance is illegal in the MLB and could lead to an ejection.
Astros general manager Dana Brown told reporters that Blanco had initially wanted to appeal the decision but has since decided not to.
“This is an umpire’s judgement. He felt that he felt some sticky stuff so they didn’t get into what it actually was but they said he was suspended because of that,” Brown said, adding that he supported Blanco’s decision not to appeal.
“Ronel Blanco is a good human being, he’s a good dude and he’s worked his butt off to get into the starting rotation.
“I think he sees it as, ‘Look, I don’t want to be out. I don’t want to extend this any longer. I want to get back to the business of pitching.’”
CNN has contacted the Astros for further comment.
In 2021, MLB introduced a new rule that players ejected due to sticky substances can be suspended for 10 days.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
