Defiance comes in multiple forms. In the case of Royals pitcher Eric Skoglund, who will spend the first part of the regular season in baseball exile, defiance came with tears and a wave of emotion.
Saturday, Skoglund spoke to reporters in Arizona and addressed his 80-game suspension for violation of the MLB Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. MLB announced the suspension on Jan. 16, and cited Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators S-22 (Ostarine) and LGD-4033 (Ligandrol) as the banned substances.
Ten words into responding to a question about what it was like for him to tell general manager Dayton Moore about the failed test, Skoglund got choked up, tried unsuccessfully to gather himself and had to step away for nearly two and a half minutes.