Astros’ Blanco ejected vs. A’s after foreign substance found on glove originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Houston Astros starter Ronel Blanco was cruising through three innings against the Athletics on Tuesday night, but then his outing came to an abrupt end before the start of the fourth inning.
Blanco was ejected from the game at Minute Maid Park after umpires determined he had a foreign substance on his glove.
All four umpires gathered in front of the pitcher’s mound to inspect Blanco’s glove and after about a minute, they tossed him from the game and confiscated the mitt.
Blanco has been one of MLB’s best stories this season, having burst onto the screen out of nowhere to throw a no-hitter in his first start of the season on April 1.
With three shutout innings against the A’s on Tuesday, Blanco lowered his ERA this season to 2.09.
But now Blanco will await a ruling from MLB and he could face a 10-game suspension if the league determines he had a foreign substance on his glove.
MLB started cracking down on pitchers using sticky substances in 2021 after seeing a noticeable increase in spin rates. Umpires began checking pitchers’ gloves, hands, hats and belts as they came off the field.
Source Agencies
