LOS ANGELES – The Miami Marlins got good news on Thursday after they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2, completing their first four-game sweep of the boys in blue in franchise history, and giving former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly some sweet revenge on his former club.
However, minutes after the game ended, the Marlins were given a dose of bad news as it was announced that All-Star second baseman – and former Dodger himself – Dee Gordon, was suspended 80 games, without pay, after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
"Two different ends of the spectrum for us," said Mattingly. "You would expect our guys to be in there excited, but then we get this news. These guys love Dee, I feel like he's one of my kids to be honest with you. We're going to move forward."
Gordon reportedly tested positive for exogenous Testosterone and Clostebol, two banned substances under Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program.
Ironically, Major League Baseball made the announcement just minutes after the Marlins' victory over the Dodgers in which Gordon knocked in the game-tying run, and then scored the game-winning run on a balk in the seventh inning.
Gordon is a two-time All-Star that led the National League in stolen bases and batting average last season. He won his first Gold Glove and was awarded a five-year, $50 million contract extension in the offseason.
Miami Marlins President, David Samson, spoke with reporters in Los Angeles after the game and had this to say about Gordon's suspension:
"Dee Gordon is a very important part of our team and we all love him and support him. With that said, I do not like or condone what he did. It is a huge disappointment to the kids, to our fans, to his teammates, and everyone in our organization who works every single day to put a product on the field that everyone in Miami will be proud of. He will be back 80 games from now and will be welcomed back to this organization. We expect him and are positive that he will do whatever is necessary to make it up to the fans, to his teammates, and to this organization."
More than likely, Gordon knew about his positive tests weeks ago, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, was appealing the positive test until he decided to drop the appeal and tell his teammates today.
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The suspension is effective immediately, and Gordon is expected to release a statement on Friday morning. As soon as it is made public, we will have it for you here.
UPDATE: Here is Dee Gordon's statement released at 5:20AM PST:
"I made a mistake and I accept the consequences. Though I did not do so knowingly, I have been informed that test results showed I ingested something that contained prohibited substances. 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+ tests that I have taken and passed throughout my career prove this. I made a mistake and I accept the consequences."
