Lead

The 10-game suspension imposed on Minnesota Twins minor league pitcher Go Woo-suk for having an illegal substance in his glove has been reduced to eight games, his agency said. The reduction came after Go appealed the ban through the players' union, according to Leeco Sports Agency.

Coverage Comparison

Reports from Yonhap News Agency detail the timeline of the incident and its aftermath. The suspension was handed down on July 25 (U.S. time), a day after Go was ejected from a Triple-A game for having an illegal substance in his glove. At the time, Minnesota media reported that Go had begun serving his suspension, and some reports claimed he had chosen not to appeal. Go took to social media to refute those reports, saying he would try to clear his name through the players' association.

Leeco Sports Agency told Yonhap that this was the first instance in which a player's appeal over a foreign-substance ban has successfully led to a reduction in the 10-game suspension. Go will be eligible to return to the mound on Tuesday, the agency added.

Key Claims

  • Go Woo-suk's 10-game suspension was reduced to eight games following an appeal through the players' union.
  • Go was ejected from a Triple-A game after an umpire discovered an illegal substance in his glove.
  • MLB began cracking down on pitchers applying foreign substances to baseballs during the 2021 season, with those caught subject to automatic ejection and a mandatory 10-game ban.
  • Go claimed the substance found in his glove was a hardened mixture of sweat and rosin.
  • Go was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Twins on July 5 and made his major league debut four days later.
  • After posting a 9.00 ERA in four outings with the Twins, Go was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul.
  • Go took to social media to refute reports that he had chosen not to appeal.
Go's social media post, quoted by Yonhap, included: "I have never once thought in my life that I should resort to illegal ways to compete. I have always believed that fair play is the most important value in sports. Even when I was struggling in the minor leagues and had to work my way up from the rock bottom, my conviction never wavered."

He also stated, referring to the glove in question: "I have been using the same glove since the World Baseball Classic and it has never once been a problem. It could not have affected my pitching."

Go began this season with the Detroit Tigers and spent the entire season in the minors before the Twins acquired him. He was about to pitch in the seventh inning for his St. Paul debut on July 24 when the ejection occurred.