Chapter[ VI. Incidents Providing Evidence to Baseball Officials of Players’ Possession
or Use of Performance Enhancing Substances ]
Section[ F. Bullpen Catcher Admits to Supplying Steroids to Eight Major League Players, September 2002 ]
F. Bullpen Catcher Admits to Supplying Steroids to Eight Major League Players, September 2002
On September 26, 2002, during a game against the Florida Marlins at Montreal’s
Olympic Stadium, Montreal’s bullpen catcher Luis Perez asked a Marlins clubhouse attendant if
he would carry a duffel bag back to Florida for him. The Marlins employee, who knew Perez
from his previous tenure as a bullpen catcher with the Marlins, agreed. Perez later delivered a
large padlocked duffel bag to be included with the Marlins luggage. Marlins equipment manager
John Silverman was suspicious because of the padlock and directed that the bag be opened.
When it was (using a combination that Perez provided), Silverman and the clubhouse attendant
discovered a box coated on the inside with pine tar that contained two plastic packages
amounting to one pound of marijuana.
The Montreal police were called. That evening, Perez was interviewed by
telephone by Kevin Hallinan, the Commissioner’s senior vice president for security, and other
baseball officials, who advised that “the legal process should take its course and that [security]
would contact him once the authorities were completed with their work.” Montreal police
interviewed Perez and arrested him for possession of marijuana. Perez ultimately received a
$5,000 fine for the violation.
After the criminal process had ended, Hallinan and his deputy, Martin Maguire,
traveled to Miami to interview Perez. Perez explained that during his time as a bullpen catcher
for the Florida Marlins, between 1998 until 2001, two players asked if he could obtain steroids
for them. After he was successful in doing so, word spread and he became a source for players
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to acquire steroids and other drugs. Perez alleged that he had witnessed widespread use of
steroids and other drugs. According to Hallinan’s memo, Perez told baseball officials “. . . that
virtually every player on the Marlins was ‘doing something’ ranging from steroids and greenies,
to marijuana, etc. He also claimed that every pitcher in Montreal’s bullpen was on some form of
steroid.”
Perez told Hallinan that when teams were in San Diego, players often crossed the
border into Mexico to obtain illegal substances. He said that he knew of clubhouse employees
with other teams who were similarly called upon to obtain drugs for players, including in
particular a visiting clubhouse attendant in Philadelphia.269 Perez also claimed that he was paid
as much as $500 by certain players to carry their bags on trips to and from Canada.
At the conclusion of their interview of him, Perez’s lawyer handed to Hallinan
and Maguire a typed list of players and their “drug of choice” that had been compiled by Perez.
The list identified eight players (with the Marlins, Astros, and Expos) for whom Perez personally
had acquired anabolic steroids, in addition to identifying twelve players for whom Perez had
obtained other drugs.
Hallinan and Maguire both said that they regarded Perez as a credible witness.
Hallinan told us that the Perez incident could have been the “single most important steroids
investigation” he conducted, but to his disappointment he was not given permission to interview
the major league players named by Perez.
We made a number of attempts to contact Perez, all without success. Because
neither I nor any member of my staff had the opportunity to make our own assessment of Perez’s
269 Based on Perez’s interview, Maguire later interviewed a Phillies clubhouse attendant
who denied that he had any involvement in procuring drugs for players.
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credibility, or to otherwise corroborate his statements, I have not identified the players for whom
Perez allegedly obtained steroids, with one exception discussed later in this report.
Although no players were interviewed about their alleged involvement with
steroids or other drugs after the Perez interview, the players identified by Perez were evaluated
by Dr. Millman and Dr. Solomon, and thereafter those players were subjected to “reasonable
cause” drug tests. The tests were conducted long after the allegations were made. None of the
players tested positive for the use of performance enhancing substances.
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