Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco’s season has taken a strange turn. Ejected on Tuesday night for having a foreign substance on his glove, Blanco now faces a 10-game suspension by MLB. As sudden as this may seem, there are many opinions coming in and one of them is from the Houston Astros GM, Dana Brown. 

Blanco, currently sporting a stellar 4-0 record and a minuscule 2.09 ERA, was enjoying a breakout season. However, his dominance was cut short when umpires came across the suspicious substance during a routine check. So what was it? 

Dana Brown calls Blanco a “good dude”

While Astros GM Dana Brown insists Blanco is a “good dude” he attributes the issue at hand to a combination of sweat and rosin. “This is a guy who sweats a ton, and when you combine the sweat and the rosin, we felt like maybe that’s what they felt is sticky,” Brown said. Blanco, on the other hand, has opted to accept the penalty rather than fight it.

However, Blanco has denied the use of any illegal substances. “Just probably rosin I put on my left arm,” he said in Spanish through a translator. “Maybe because of the sweat it got into the glove and that’s maybe what they found,” he added. While the explanation might seem convincing, the umpires hoped to be extra cautious to let any potential malpractice slide.

Despite Brown’s defense, Blanco seems more interested in getting back on the mound as soon as possible, than arguing his innocence. “I don’t want to be out,” expressed Blanco. He further added he wanted to “get back to the business of pitching.” The swift acceptance minimizes the disruption to the Astros’ pitching rotation, with Blanco likely missing only one start due to their current six-man setup.

Does this deep-seated problem have a solution?

The incident sheds light on the ongoing debate about foreign substances in baseball. MLB has been cracking down on pitchers using illegal substances to doctor the ball and gain an unfair advantage. However, the Blanco situation raises questions about the effectiveness of these efforts. Can umpires definitively differentiate between sweat and rosin buildup and a banned sticky substance?

For now, Blanco serves his suspension, leaving the Astros with a mixed bag. While they maintain their pitcher’s innocence, they continue respecting the umpire’s authority. The focus now shifts to Blanco’s swift return, hoping his dominant form continues once he’s back on the field. That being said, the incident definitely serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenge MLB faces in policing foreign substances and ensuring a level playing field.