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Houston Astros pitcher caught cheating and ejected for violating foreign substances policy

Gillberg
Houston Astros pitcher caught cheating and ejected for violating foreign substances policy

Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Ronel Blanco was ejected from Tuesday’s game for having a foreign substance on his glove. Blanco’s glove was inspected by the umpires before the fourth inning, and after a brief meeting, they elected to eject Blanco from the game.

Here is the entire three-minute-plus interaction between Blanco, Astros manager Joe Espada, the Astros infielders and the four umpires.

Blanco had pitched three scoreless innings Tuesday, lowering his season ERA to 2.09. He also threw the league’s only no-hitter this season, on April 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Major League Baseball will now inspect Blanco’s glove, which was quickly removed from the field following his ejection. If it is determined to contain a banned substance, Blanco will receive a 10-game suspension.

Last year, former Dodgers and then New York Met right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer was ejected following a glove test and subsequently received a 10-game foreign substance ban. Our Doug McKain published a detailed analysis of Scherzer’s ejection, which you can watch here:

Blanco will likely receive the same punishment, which will keep him out of the Astros’ rotation for the next two rounds.

The Astros were involved in the sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 season, which culminated in a World Series victory over the Dodgers.

Photo credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

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