Major League Baseball has handed out another 50-game suspension, making it two in the last seven days. The league suspended former Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon of the Oakland Athletics for 50 games on Wednesday after the pitcher’s drug test revealed unauthorized testosterone usage.
Colon’s suspension will be effective immediately, and will occur without pay. He is set to miss the remaining 40 games of this season and will either miss 10 games in the playoffs, or will have the suspension carry over to next season – if he ends up signing another contract, that is.
He will also miss out on the remaining $469,945 of his $2 million base salary this year. If he had started on Thursday, he would have made another $250,000 and, due to the suspension, he will now miss out on a chance to make an additional $850,000 in bonuses based on innings pitched.
Bartolo Colon spoke on his suspension via a statement released by the Major League Baseball Players Association;
“I apologize to the fans, to my teammates and to the Oakland A’s. I accept responsibility for my actions and I will serve my suspension as required by the Joint Drug Program.”
The Oakland A’s currently sit a half-game out in the AL Wild-Card race and have not made the playoffs since 2006. They were preparing for an afternoon series finale with the Minnesota Twins when they received the news from clubhouse television sets. Shortly afterwards, a closed-door meeting was called.
The Oakland A’s also spoke on the suspension of Bartolo Colon via their website;
“The Oakland Athletics are disappointed to learn of today’s suspension of pitcher Bartolo Colon. The organization fully supports Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and its efforts to eliminate performance-enhancing substances from our game. Per the Basic Agreement, the A’s will have no further comment.”
Colon happens to be the fifth player that Major League Baseball has suspended under its big league drug program this season. Unfortunately, his suspension may affect the outcome of the rest of season for the A’s, as he was one of the pitchers that they were relying on for the final stretch.
Colon was very thankful for getting a second chance with the A’s, but this may have been his last.