Article by Chris Saunders
Former Met’s closer Henry Mejia has been banned permanently
from the majors after his third positive PED test, according to a league
announcement. Remarkably, Mejia tested positive for the banned substance boldenone
after earning two suspensions just last year.
With this suspension Mejia becomes the first player in Major
League Baseball history on Friday to earn a lifetime suspension for
performance-enhancing drug use under the “three
strikes and you’re out” PED policy. He joins linking Pete Rose as
the only people actively serving the league's harshest punishment. Mejia can; however; apply to MLB
Commissioner Rob Manfred for reinstatement; he must first sit out a minimum of
two years.
Mejia, twenty-six, was once
a heralded top prospect who broke into the big leagues at age 20. Of course not
every prospect’s journey is the same as a Clayton Kershaw or Mariano Rivera; as
Mejia path to the big leagues was built around a rash of injuries for years
before becoming a reliable late-inning reliever in 2014 posting 28 saves and
working to a 2.72 ERA over 56 1/3 innings out of the pen. He entered 2015 as
the team's closer, but another injury forced him to the disabled list after
Opening Day. It was while sidelined that Mejia first tested positive for
Stanozolol, saying at the time that "I can honestly say I have no idea how
a banned substance ended up in my system."
Mejia's agency
offered no comment on his behalf, but the Mets issued the following statement
regarding his suspension: "We were deeply disappointed to hear that Jenrry
has again violated Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment
Program. We fully support MLB's policy toward eliminating performance enhancing
substances from the sport. As per the Joint Drug Program, we will have no
further comment on this suspension."
While New York seemed primed to cut
ties at one point last year, the Mets couldn’t resist Mejia’s cheap contract
along with his rested and youthful arm. However; Mejia somehow proved unable to
avoid PED usage even while subject to stepped-up testing as a prior offender.
It is a type of ban
that is nearly unprecedented among baseball let alone professional sports in
total. Only on the rarest of occasions has the league banned players for life,
for example most famously eight members of the 1919 White Sox, for fixing
games; Rose in 1989 for gambling; and now Mejia(For PED’s). In fact team owners George Steinbrenner and
Marge Schott; for instance, received lifetime bans, but were later overturned.
What is next for Mejia
you may ask? While he remains young enough to build a career in any domestic or
foreign independent leagues that choose to employ him, the chances of that
happening in the not so distance future remain unlikely. Although certain “supposed”
steroid users have received jobs within the MLB (I.E Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire)
they never tested positive during their pro careers, nor been found to use them
post playing days. Mejia on the other hand got caught three times!
When it comes down
to it Mejia either was depended on boldenone thinking without it
he couldn’t perform to his 2014 level, or quiet possible he’s a stubborn twenty-six-year-old.
Mejia did say to MLB reporter “Win or lose I have great faith. I have to clear
my name”. Whichever the case may be; I hope for his sake
he receives some help one way or another.
Comment- Twitter- @C_Broadcaster, Facebook- Chris
Saunders, Email Chrisweather16@yahoo.com
