Seattle Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago he has been suspended 10 games and fined by Major League Baseball for having a foreign substance on his glove, it was announced Tuesday.
The 33-year-old southpaw is the first player to be sent off and suspended under the league’s new offense against pitchers using foreign substances.
Santiago is appealing the suspension, which was handed over by MLB Senior Vice President Michael Hill and is eligible to play Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays. If the suspension is maintained, the Mariners cannot take their roster position during the suspension.
Santiago became the first player to be ejected as part of Major League Baseball’s new protocols against the use of foreign substances when he was ejected from the Mariners’ 3-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.
Santiago later admitted that he wore blonde complexion on the glove side, which violates the foreign substance rule. The glove was sent to New York, but sources said it was not necessary to inspect it further, as the expulsion and suspension are based solely on the referees’ report of detecting a foreign substance.
The rules state that the referee will be the “sole judge” as to whether any part of the foreign substance rule has been violated.
The ejection occurred in the fifth inning as Santiago was being removed from the game. As usual, on the way to the dugout, the referees checked him for foreign substances and kicked him out after feeling something sticky on the inside of his glove.
Santiago started this season at Triple-A and made his major league season debut with the Mariners on June 1. He is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA in nine games.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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