Manny Ramirez served a 50 game suspension earlier this season for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy, but that was reportedly not his first instance of testing positive for banned substances. According to the New York Times which cited lawyers involved in pending litigation over the testing results who spoke anonymously, Ramirez and David Ortiz are both amongst some 100 major leaguers that tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003.

The lawyers spoke anonymously as the information is under seal by a court order. The results of the 2003 tests were supposed to remain anonymous, but were later seized by federal agents. Alex Rodriguez admitted to using performance enhancing drugs after it was revealed that he was one of the names on the 2003 list.

Ramirez, who was with the Cleveland Indians from 1993 until 2000 when he was traded to Boston, led the Red Sox along with Ortize to their first World Series Championship since 1918 in 2004. Ramirez is now with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ortiz has not been previously linked to positive tests. And while Ramirez had long been established as a star player in 2003, Ortiz had only been a part-time player prior that season. Then, perhaps thanks to the performance enhancing drugs, he became one of the game's top sluggers in 2003.