Astros pitcher ejected for foreign substance in glove

Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco was ejected from Tuesday’s start against the Oakland Athletics when a foreign substance was found on his glove.

Blanco pitched three scoreless innings for the Astros. But when the umpires checked his glove as he came out for the fourth inning, something was wrong. The four umpires conferenced by the pitcher’s mound with Blanco, Houston catcher Yainer Díaz and manager Joe Espada all nearby.

Eventually, the decision was made that what Blanco had on his glove was not an acceptable amount and the pitcher was ejected.

“Umpires have confiscated Ronel Blanco’s glove and brought it down to their locker room. Blanco now faces a 10-game suspension,” Chandler Rome of The Athletic added.

The Astros Stats Twitter/X shared Blanco’s spin rates in 2024 compared to 2023 and Tuesday’s starts compared to the rest of the 2024 season.

Blanco has been one of baseball’s best pitchers through the early weeks of the 2024 season. He threw a no-hitter in his first start of the season and entered Tuesday’s start with a 2.23 ERA, 1.015 WHIP, 41 strikeouts in 44.1 innings and a 4-0 record.

[Chandler Rome on Twitter/X, Astros Stats on Twitter/X]