Trial Underway for Pitcher Accused of Hitting Fan with Baseball

Sports Betting News - July 24th, 2009 - Written by Bruce

Minor League pitcher Julio Castillo is on trial for injuring a fan with a baseball he threw during a fight that broke out during a game last July. Castillo who is now on the roster of the Boise Hawks was pitching for the Peoria Chiefs last year when the incident took place. The Chiefs were facing the Dayton Dragons when the two teams got in a bench clearing brawl. Castillo who was pitching at the time the fight broke out, threw a ball that struck a fan in the stands. Castillo pled not guilty Thursday to felonious assault and the trial is currently ongoing.

The 22 year old Castillo is from the Dominican Republic and told the court he had been having control problems with his pitches during the game in question. He said the he got scared when the fight broke out but he did not throw the ball with the intention of hitting anyone. Castillo speaks Spanish and testified through a translator saying, "I saw that the players with the Dragons were coming. I was nervous and frightened. I threw the ball in front of the dugout to see if they would go back." The prosecutor later said that Castillo threw the ball hard and it went into the stands. The fan that was hit the baseball was struck in the forehead and was treated at a hospital before being released. If Castillo is found guilty he could face up to eight years in prison and a fine of $15,000.

In the game before the fight broke out, the Dayton Dragons hit three Peoria Chiefs batters. In the game in question Castillo hit two Dayton batters after a Peoria batter was hit in the first inning. The two managers came out on the field and began arguing which led to the two teams clearing the benches. In response to the fight, the Midwest League suspended and fined fifteen players and both managers. A video taken during the incident shows Castillo aggressively throwing the baseball but it does not show where the ball landed. This was a very unfortunate incident but thankfully the fan struck with the ball made a full recovery.