Seattle Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago became the first MLB player ejected and suspended for illegal use of a foreign substance after the league’s crackdown. It doesn’t appear to have made him a pariah — in fact, his manager thinks the whole thing is ridiculous.
Mariners manager Scott Servais criticized MLB after Santiago’s ten-game suspension was upheld on appeal. Servais argued that Santiago was “singled out” by the league, and that Santiago’s spin rate should be evidence that he isn’t cheating.
Servais on Santiago suspension "It impacts us a lot. I thought the entire thing was ridiculous and I haven't changed my thoughts at all. The fact that they singled out Hector I think is crazy. This is a guy with one of the lowest spin rates in the game, he does it differently."
— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) July 16, 2021
Servais has a point — Santiago’s spin rates are in the bottom 25 percent of all pitchers, according to Statcast. However, that’s not really the point. The league is serious about stopping pitchers from using illegal substances, even if there’s no real evidence it’s helping Santiago pitch better.
The veteran pitcher claimed he was ejected for having rosin on his glove. Whatever the case, the suspension was upheld, so there was enough evidence for the league to act the way it did.
