Houston Astros pitcher Kent Emanuel has been called up to the team’s roster to make his MLB debut out of the bullpen, and he has a truly incredible reason for the jersey number he chose.
Emanuel was called up after finishing an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Emanuel consistently maintained his innocence, even doing research and analysis about Oral Turinabol, the drug he was suspended for. Emanuel felt his suspension was unjust and unwarranted because he said did not know how the drug got into his system, and also argued that based on his research, there was no proof that it offered any performance benefits to MLB players.
On Friday, Emanuel’s suspension ended, allowing the Astros to activate him and call him up for the first time. When meeting with the media, he said he planned to wear No. 0 to represent the number of games he should have been suspended.
Kent Emanuel says he plans to wear No. 0 for the number of games he should have been suspended.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 23, 2021
You have to respect the commitment. Plus, it’s pretty clear Emanuel did do a lot of research into the drug he tested positive for, so credit to him for that as well.
Of course, detractors would probably argue that being on the Astros is perfect for Emanuel and that his lack of contrition will fit right in with his teammates.
