In what can be debated as an extraordinary feat of either stick-to-it-iveness or poor judgment — or perhaps both — a professional baseball player has failed a doping test for a third time, resulting in a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball. It is the first time baseball has handed down the most severe punishment under its antidoping program.
That player, Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia, now carries unrivaled ignominy. Baseball has had far more famous players involved in drug scandals — Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Mark McGwire among them — but none received a lifetime ban for three failed tests for performance-enhancing substances.