The Houston Astros received some tough news on Wednesday when they learned that right-hander Ronel Blanco had been suspended for 10 games due to the use of a foreign substance on his hand.
When a pitcher is caught using a foreign substance and subsequently ejected, the automatic punishment is a 10-game suspension, and the team affected is not allowed to fill the roster spot. The pitcher is allowed to appeal their suspension, though appeals are usually unsuccessful.
However, instead of appealing his suspension, Blanco chose to accept his punishment and begin serving his suspension immediately. On Wednesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that Blanco was not appealing his suspension.
Ronel Blanco is NOT appealing his suspension, GM Dana Brown said. It starts tonight.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 15, 2024
Ronel Blanco not appealing suspension
These days, umpires crack down on foreign substances, and while their decision to do so has brought some positive change, it also has its drawbacks. Sometimes pitchers are even ejected when they have legal substances on their hands.
Even rosin is sometimes enough for umpires to overstep their bounds and eject a pitcher, and while we can't be sure what was on Blanco's hand, it's always possible that it was simply rosin.
But Blanco chose not to appeal his suspension and instead accepted his punishment right away.
Blanco provided a feel-good moment early in the season when he threw a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1. The 30-year-old has a solid season for the Astros, going 4-0 in his first eight starts and posting an ERA of just 2.09.
Sadly, Blanco admitted defeated in deflating fashion when faced with the choice to either appeal or accept his suspension. He may have made the smart choice, as it won't be long before he's back. But it might have been worth at least trying to appeal to see if he could find his way out of the mess.
Instead, he becomes the latest victim of the foreign substance crackdown and will be out for a little while.