Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago becomes first pitcher ejected as part of crackdown

MLB’s crackdown on pitchers using foreign substances or otherwise doctoring the ball had so far not resulted in any ejections.

That changed today, at the tail end of the first week, with Mariners reliever Hector Santiago being tossed and his glove confiscated and sealed up in a trash bag.

https://twitter.com/BenVerlander/status/1409227692235399170

It’s actually surprising it took this long for someone to get tossed, although considering pitchers had a heads-up, it’s possible that they spent the week looking for ways to be more discreet about their practices than, say, having a clearly discolored patch of tacky material on the bill of their hat.

Now comes the somewhat more interesting part of the process, as Santiago and the Mariners will surely appeal, while the public learns just how much transparency there will be about the process. Will MLB release what they find with the glove? Because learning the crazy ways pitchers attempt to do stuff like this is endlessly fascinating! Lean into the entertainment side of it, MLB!