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Seattle Mariners

Mariners’ Héctor Santiago suspended 10 days for foreign substance

Home Plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, right, talks with Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Hector Santiago during the fifth inning in the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, June 27, 2021. Santiago was ejected by Cuzzi. (Associated Press)
By Ryan Divish Seattle Times

Major League Baseball issued a 10-game suspension and undisclosed fine to Mariners pitcher Héctor Santiago for possessing a foreign substance on his glove during the Seattle Mariners’ first game on Sunday against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

His suspension was to begin Tuesday night with the series opener vs. the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo, N.Y., but Santiago, who said after the game that he only had rosin on his skin and glove, has decided to appeal the ruling. His suspension will be held in abeyance pending appeal.

Following the fifth inning of a game suspended on Saturday and being played Sunday afternoon in Chicago, umpires checked Santiago’s arms and glove. After looking on the inside of the glove, they summoned manager Scott Servais and then ejected Santiago.

“I know that I didn’t use anything today,” Santiago said. “… I wasn’t using anything besides rosin, which was given to us.”

Crew chief Tom Hallion, who was not on the field for the first game, spoke to a pool reporter after the game and offered this reasoning: “He was ejected for, when his glove was inspected for having a foreign substance that was sticky on the inside palm of his glove.”

Home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi noticed “the substance” and called over the rest of the umpire crew to examine the glove.

“We were all in agreement,” Cuzzi told Hallion.

Cuzzi ejected a stunned Santiago and wouldn’t listen to any of Servais’ protestations.

Neither Servais nor Santiago expected a suspension to be levied.

“I think once they take it back and check, it’s just sweat and rosin and we will be all right,” Santiago said.

Said Servais: “They can go ahead and look at it. There is no sticky stuff in the glove.”

Santiago’s glove was confiscated and placed in a plastic bag to be sent to MLB for further inspection. However, a report from ESPN said that didn’t happen and the suspension was imposed without anyone from MLB inspecting the glove, only Cuzzi and the other umpires.