Sidney Ponson Tested Positive at WBC
June 26, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under 2009 world baseball classic, News, Roid Rage
At the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Sidney Ponson currently of the Kansas City Royals tested positive for Phentermine, a stimulant that is on the banned substance list. As a result, Ponson won’t be able to play in international baseball competition for 24 months.
Ponson, who pitched for the Netherlands in the 2009 WBC, says that he was prescribed Phentermine to lose weight. Major League Baseball won’t suspend him.
On the season, Ponson has pitched like he needs performance enhancer. The 32-year-old from Aruba is 1-5 with a 7.27 ERA. Last year, while splitting time between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees, Ponson was 8-5 with a 5.04 ERA.
Ponson isn’t the first big league player to have busted at the WBC. Recently, Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto tested positive for marijuana. Soto played in the WBC for Puerto Rico. Since the positive drug test, Soto has apologized. Like Ponson, Soto won’t be suspended by the MLB.
Sidney Ponson - WBC Netherlands (Image: Zuma Press)
