Astros' Ronel Blanco Suspended 10 Games Due to Foreign Substance on Glove

Karl Rasmussen | May 15, 2024

Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Astros starter Ronel Blanco was the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter this season. He'll also be the first to be suspended after failing a foreign substance check.

Blanco was ejected from his start on Tuesday night against the Oakland Athletics after umpires found a foreign substance on his glove. As a result, MLB issued a 10-game ban to the right-hander on Wednesday, which Blanco is not planning to appeal.

In addition to the 10-game suspension, Blanco will be fined an undisclosed amount. The suspension becomes official on Wednesday, meaning he'll be available to return on May 25.

Blanco maintained that he wasn't using any illegal substances, but opted against appealing in order to get the suspension out of the way, rather than go through the process of appealing.

"Just probably rosin I put on my left arm," Blanco said, speaking through an interpreter. "Maybe because of the sweat it got into the glove and that's maybe what they found."

First-base umpire Erich Bacchus said after the game that he felt something inside Blanco's glove that was " the stickiest stuff I've felt on a glove since we've been doing this for a few years now." Blanco's glove was confiscated and will be examined by MLB.

Since MLB began cracking down on foreign substance use among pitchers in 2021, only seven players, including Blanco, have been suspended. Last season, former New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer and former New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán were both suspended 10 games for foreign substances.