Queen Prawn Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Mets pitcher gets 50-game doping ban Mets pitcher gets 50-game doping ban By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports April 28, 2006 New York Mets minor-league pitcher Yusaku Iriki has been suspended for 50 games after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, becoming the first player exposed to the harsher penalties Major League Baseball instituted this offseason, a source told Yahoo! Sports Friday. Iriki, who signed a one-year, $750,000 deal this offseason, will serve the longest steroid-related major-league suspension. It stems from testing done while he was with the Mets in spring training. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Iriki, currently pitching for Triple-A Norfolk, becomes the first Japanese player suspended for a positive steroid test at the major-league level and the 13th since baseball began doling out suspensions last season. Ten players have been suspended under minor-league testing this season. Iriki, who was taken off the Mets' 40-man roster on April 18, remained in the organization and has pitched well. He is 1-2 with a 3.74 ERA and has struck out 24 batters in 21 2/3 innings. The right-hander was considered a possible replacement if the injured Brian Bannister can't pitch for the Mets, who are in first place in the National League East. Jeff Passan is Yahoo! Sports' national baseball writer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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