Former Toronto Blue Jays All-Star shares experience of getting tested for PED's in MLB
Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Whit Merrifield shares what it is like for MLB players to get tested for PED's.
Retired Blue Jays IF/OF Whit Merrifield has been hosting the 6ixth Inning Stretch Podcast with co-host Lindsay Dunn for about six months now, and has covered a number of interesting topics over the season.
In their most recent podcast Merrifield shared what it is like for players to get tested, and how often they are tested for PED's over the course of a season.
"We have drug testers in our locker room three days a week. It's not that everybody is getting tested three days a week, it's random. It always seemed to happen for me every time I would have a big game, or hit a couple of homers that week, or had a bunch of extra-base hits. You'd be like okay what's getting tested. It's kind of like a running joke with anybody, if anybody has a big game, or a big stretch it always seems like that is when they're getting tested".
Merrifield explains how inconvenient PED testing can be for MLB players
"What happens with the drug testing is that it is either before or after the game. The problem we have as players isn't necessarily the drug testing itself, it's when they come and do it. They just fixed it last year with the dilution of the pee. If you were too hydrated, the pee wouldn't register, and so that was a whole thing. So I have to sit there and wait, you can't leave once you start, i mean you can but the drug tester has to follow you around, too make sure you are not doing anything sketchy. You can't leave the facility until you have completed the drug test. So if you pee and it's too diluted you have to wait and try to pee again. If the game starts you have to wait until the game is over and pee again. If you're to diluted you have to wait again. There have been times where players have had to stay until two or three in the morning doing these drug tests".
The Florence, S.C. native split his nine seasons in MLB between the Kansas City Royals, Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and Braves.
In that time, he suited up for 1,147 games and put up a .280 batting average with a .741 OPS. He slugged 94 home runs and stole 218 bases.
Merrifield was named an All-Star for the third time in his career in 2023 while with the Blue Jays and led the team in stolen bags with 26.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 6 | 535 ANSWERS Former Toronto Blue Jays All-Star shares experience of getting tested for PED's in MLB Did you think that drug testing in MLB was so vigorous? | ||
| Yes | 224 | 41.9 % |
| No | 311 | 58.1 % |
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