Mariners pitcher Héctor Santiago’s 10-game suspension upheld, per report
Jul 15, 2021, 11:41 AM
Héctor Santiago will miss games against the Angels, Rockies, A's and Astros. (Getty)
(Getty)
The Mariners will lose pitcher Héctor Santiago – and his roster spot – for 10 games as his suspension has been upheld after an appeal, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
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Passan tweeted the news late Thursday morning, saying that a source had informed him and fellow ESPN baseball insider Kiley McDaniel of the ruling.
Seattle Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago’s 10-game suspension for foreign-substance use has been upheld after an appeal, sources tell @kileymcd and me. He will be the first — and, so far, only — player to miss time.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 15, 2021
Santiago was ejected from a June 26 game following a relief appearance in Chicago against the White Sox when umpires found a sticky substance on his glove. While Santiago and Mariners manager Scott Servais have maintained that the substance was rosin, which is legal in MLB, mixed with sweat, he was handed a 10-game suspension, becoming the first player penalized under MLB’s recent crackdown on foreign substances used by pitchers.
The Mariners will be without Santiago beginning with Friday’s series opener in Anaheim against the Angels through a July 26 home game against Houston. MLB’s suspension policy for a pitcher using a foreign substance stipulates that the player’s team cannot replace the spot on its roster, so the Mariners will be operating with 25 players on their 26-man roster for upcoming games against the Angels, Rockies, Athletics and Astros.
The 33-year-old Santiago has appeared in 12 games for Seattle this season, including a start in Seattle’s final game before the All-Star break last Sunday. He pitched in three games while his suspension was on appeal. The veteran left-hander has a 3.33 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 29 strikeouts and 10 walks over 24 1/3 innings.
The Mariners continue their season in a 6:38 p.m. game Friday against the Angels. Coverage will begin on 710 ESPN Seattle with the pregame show at 5:30 p.m.
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