NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball had just two positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs that resulted in discipline during the year ending with the World Series and exemptions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder remained at a low.
There were 11,609 tests that included 9,455 urine samples and 2,154 blood samples to detect human growth hormone, independent program administrator Thomas M. Martin said in his annual report released Friday by MLB and the players' association.
That was down slightly from a record 11,783 samples last year that included 9,550 for urine and 2,233 for blood. Total tests were MLB's third-highest, also trailing 11,619 in 2019.
Offseason urine tests between 2023 and 2024 increased to 1,706 from 1,698, and there were 407 offseason blood tests.
The only positive test among players on 40-man rosters involved Cincinnati infielder Noelvi Marté, suspended for the first 80 games of 2024 following a positive test for boldenone, and Toronto Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martínez, suspended for 80 games on June 23 following a positive for clomiphene two days after his major league debut.
There were no positive tests for banned stimulants that resulted in suspensions. A first positive involving a banned stimulant results in follow-up testing, and a second positive causes a 50-game suspension.
TUEs totaled 65, of which 61 were for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The 61 matched 2023, when the total dropped for a 10th consecutive year. That total was down from 72 in 2022 and 119 in 2013.
There was one TUE each for hypertension, sleep disorder, hormone function and uveitis/high eye pressure.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
The on-deck circle with the MLB logo is in place before a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park, Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Thousands of demonstrators protesting the Georgian government's decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union rallied outside Parliament in the capital, Tbilisi, for a second straight night Friday, surrounded by a heavy police presence.
The previous night, police used water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse protesters who took to the streets after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the ruling Georgian Dream party announced the suspension. The interior ministry said it detained 43 people during the protests.
On Friday evening, protesters again swarmed Parliament, with some banging on the metal gates to the building. Riot police deployed in force to protect the building and a water cannon could be seen parked nearby.
Georgian Dream's disputed victory in the Oct. 26 election, which was widely seen as a referendum on the country’s aspirations to join the European Union, has sparked massive demonstrations and led to an opposition boycott of parliament. The opposition said the vote was rigged under the influence of Russia seeking to keep Georgia in its orbit.
President Salome Zourabichvili joined protesters on Thursday after making an address to the nation, in which she accused the government of declaring “war” on its own people.
The Georgian president, who has a largely ceremonial role, has declared that the ruling party rigged the election with the help of Russia, Georgia's former imperial master.
The government's announcement that it was suspending negotiations to join the EU came hours after the European Parliament adopted a resolution that condemned last month’s vote as neither free nor fair, representing yet another manifestation of the continued democratic backsliding “for which the ruling Georgian Dream party is fully responsible.”
European election observers said October's vote took place in a divisive atmosphere marked by instances of bribery, double voting and physical violence.
The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that it meet the bloc’s recommendations, but put its accession on hold and cut financial support earlier this year after the passage of a “foreign influence” law widely seen as a blow to democratic freedoms.
EU lawmakers urged a rerun of the parliamentary vote within a year under thorough international supervision and by an independent election administration. They also called on the EU to impose sanctions and limit formal contacts with the Georgian government.
The Georgian prime minister fired back, denouncing what he described as a “cascade of insults” from the EU politicians and declaring that “the ill-wishers of our country have turned the European Parliament into a blunt weapon of blackmail against Georgia, which is a great disgrace for the European Union.”
“We will continue on our path toward the European Union; however, we will not allow anyone to keep us in a constant state of blackmail and manipulation, which is utterly disrespectful to our country and society,” Kobakhidze said. “We must clearly show certain European politicians and bureaucrats, who are completely devoid of European values, that they must speak to Georgia with dignity, not through blackmail and insults.”
Kobakhidze also said Georgia would reject any budgetary grants from the EU until the end of 2028.
Critics have accused Georgian Dream — established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
The EU suspended Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely in June, after parliament passed a law requiring organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interest of a foreign power,” similar to a Russian law used to discredit organizations critical of the government.
Protesters pour into the streets following the country's ruling party suspended negotiations to join the European Union until 2028, rallying outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Protesters pour into the streets following the country's ruling party suspended negotiations to join the European Union until 2028, rallying outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Police detain a protester outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
People stand with EU flags following Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement, rallying outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Paramedics treat a protester after clashes with police as demonstrators poured into the streets following Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement, rallying outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
A group of protesters move a burning garbage container pouring into the streets following Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement, rallying outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Police detain a protester outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Protesters pour into the streets following Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement, rallying outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Police use a water cannon to prevent protesters pouring into the streets following Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement, rallying outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Protesters pour into the streets and put fire following Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement, rallying outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
