Pirates Suspend Pitcher Scurry for Failing to Follow Drug Program

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates indefinitely suspended pitcher Rod Scurry Wednesday for failing to follow a drug aftercare program he began last season after treatment for cocaine dependency.

The suspension was announced by General Manager Joe L. Brown after a meeting with Scurry, who failed to show up for the Pirates’ game Sunday at Philadelphia.

Scurry was in uniform Tuesday for the Pirates’ game against the Montreal Expos, but he did not pitch. He has a 0-0 record and one save with a 3.86 earned-run average in 17 appearances this season.

Brown said he met with Scurry “to ask him why he wasn’t in uniform Sunday.”

Asked if Scurry’s answer was satisfactory, Brown replied: “He’s suspended, isn’t he?”

Scurry, 29, was among the National League’s top left-hander relievers in 1982 with a 4-5 record with 14 saves and a 1.74 ERA. He slumped badly in 1983, ending 4-5 with a 5.56 ERA and 7 saves.

Scurry, a resident of Sparks, Nev., admitted to cocaine abuse during the first week of the 1984 season and spent a month in the Gateway Rehabilitation Center in nearby Beaver County.

He rejoined the Pirates in late May and made a tearful confession to cocaine dependency at a news conference, saying he once feared he would die because of his involvement with drugs.

Scurry was used mainly in mop-up roles the rest of the season and was 5-6 with four saves and a 2.53 ERA.

Scurry acknowledged last March that he had an unwritten agreement that allowed the Pirates to test him for drugs during the 1985 season. Scurry reportedly agreed to take 10 tests.