NL batting champ banned 80 games
Gordon suspended after failing test for PEDs
miami» Reigning National League batting champion Dee Gordon of the Miami Marlins said he unknowingly took the performance-enhancing drugs that led to his 80-game suspension but will accept the penalty.
The announcement of the suspension by Major League Baseball came soon after the Marlins defeated the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Thursday night. MLB said Gordon tested positive for exogenous testosterone and clostebol.
“Though I did not do so knowingly, I have been informed that test results showed I ingested something that contained prohibited substances,” Gordon said in a statement issued Friday by the players union. “The hardest part about this is feeling that I have let down my teammates, the organization and the fans. I have been careful to avoid products that could contain something banned by MLB and the 20-plus tests that I have taken and passed throughout my career prove this.
“I made a mistake, and I accept the consequences.”
Gordon, 28, led the major leagues in hits and stolen bases last year. He batted .333, became an all-star for the second time and won a Gold Glove as a second baseman.
The big season helped him earn the $50 million, five-year contract he signed in January.
Gordon and Marlins manager Don Mattingly were together with the Dodgers for four years, but the 5-foot-11, 170pound Gordon didn’t become a regular in L.A. until 2014.
Gordon was traded to Miami as part of a seven-player deal in December 2014, and Mattingly is in his first season as the manager of the Marlins.
“Dee is always a guy we felt could play, but at that point he was 145 pounds soaking wet,” Mattingly said during spring training. “Now he has turned into a man. He has put some physical strength on him, and he’s a different player.”
Gordon’s suspension came only months after steroidstainted home run king Barry Bonds joined the Marlins as their hitting coach.
Mattingly said after Thursday’s game the Marlins will continue to support Gordon.
“I feel like Dee’s one of my kids, to be honest with you, because I’ve known him so long,” Mattingly said.
Initial reaction across the major leagues was mixed. Chicago Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist said the bigger the star, the more upsetting the news of a drug suspension.
“People are going to keep trying to find a way around just the hard work and everything that goes into this game,” Zobrist said before the Cubs played the Atlanta Braves on Friday. “It’s just the nature of man, I believe. People are always going to try to find a way to cheat the system.”