Ko Woo-seok's Glove Foreign Substance Suspension Reduced to 8 Games After Appeal

Minnesota Twins pitcher Ko Woo-seok has had his suspension reduced from 10 games to 8 following an appeal against a ruling that found foreign substances in his glove. While the fact that a prohibited substance was discovered remains unchanged, the disciplinary action has been lessened.

Ko was removed from a Triple-A game on May 24th after umpires inspected his glove and found a substance not permitted by regulations. The Major League Baseball (MLB) office subsequently imposed a 10-game suspension. Ko, asserting his innocence, filed an appeal through the players' union.

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The fact that a prohibited substance was found in the glove has not changed, but the severity of the disciplinary action has been reduced from the original 10 games to 8.

The MLB recently decided to lower the suspension to 8 games. According to his agency, Rico Sports Agency, this is the first instance where a pitcher's suspension for a glove foreign substance violation has been reduced through an appeal process, especially since the crackdown on such substances has intensified.

However, the appeal's outcome only adjusted the length of the suspension; it did not overturn the finding that a foreign substance was present in Ko's glove during the game. Ko is eligible to return to play starting June 4th.

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This is the first time that a pitcher who was ejected and suspended for using foreign substances in his glove has had the number of suspended games reduced through an appeal, since the crackdown on the use of foreign substances was strengthened.