Astros' starter Ronel Blanco was ejected at the start of the fourth inning in a nail-biting 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night. The drama unfolded when umpires discovered a foreign substance on his glove, which one described as "the stickiest stuff I've felt on a glove."
- Incident Breakdown:
- Ejection Details: Third base umpire Laz Diaz threw Blanco out after inspecting his glove. Diaz, Blanco, and Houston manager Joe Espada had a brief discussion at the mound before the ejection. Blanco’s glove was confiscated, and first base umpire Erich Bacchus took it off the field, later confirming it was being sent to the commissioner’s office for further investigation.
- Previous Inspections: Bacchus noted that Blanco’s glove was clean during an earlier check in the first inning, but the sticky substance was found during a second check before the fourth inning.
- Umpires' Consensus: "Everybody checked the glove to make sure we all had the same thing, and he had to get ejected because he had a foreign substance on his glove," Diaz explained.
Blanco, who denied using any illegal substance, speculated that the stickiness could have been rosin mixed with sweat from his left arm. "Just probably rosin I put on my left arm," Blanco said through an interpreter. "Maybe because of the sweat it got into the glove and that's maybe what they found." Espada added that he saw "white powder" inside Blanco’s glove, which he believed was rosin mixed with moisture and sweat.
-
In-Game Impact:
- Blanco's Performance: Blanco had a solid start, pitching three scoreless innings, allowing four hits, and striking out one. He boasts a 2.09 ERA this season.
- Game Context: At the time of his ejection, the Astros were leading 1-0, with Tayler Scott coming in as the replacement pitcher.
-
Future Implications:
- MLB Crackdown: Since MLB started cracking down on foreign substances in June 2021, incidents like this have become more scrutinized. Blanco might face a 10-game suspension for the infraction
As Blanco held out his hands and patted them together in front of the umpires during their inspection, he insisted they check his hands for any sticky residue. "What I told them is, 'If you found something sticky in my glove you should also check my hands because it should also be on my hand,'" Blanco recalled. Despite his protests, the umpires proceeded with the ejection.
In summary, the controversy surrounding Blanco’s glove adds another layer of intrigue to MLB's ongoing efforts to regulate foreign substances, leaving fans and analysts eagerly awaiting the league's decision on his suspension.
Login