Thread: OH: Brawl erupts at baseball game, fan struck by ball

Brawl erupts at baseball game, fan struck by ball
By MARC KATZ, STEVE BENNISH
Cox News Service
Friday, July 25, 2008

DAYTON, Ohio — It had all the elements of a good baseball game — as well as hockey game, rugby contest and boxing match. Extreme martial arts? Oh, yeah, that, too.

Before the first inning was finished Thursday, July 24, at Fifth Third Field, three batters were hit by pitches.

The victims included:

• Dayton shortstop Zack Cozart, who left when hit in the head.

• Peoria's second baseman, who suffered a broken leg.

• A fan, who was hit by a ball thrown by Peoria starter Julio Castillo.

No information was available about the condition of the fan or Cozart.

Castillo, both managers as well as 15 players were thrown out of the game. But almost an hour after the brawl, which lasted about 10 minutes, all of the ejections were reversed by the Midwest League, one of Minor League Baseball's "A" leagues.

The reversal came after the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs — parent teams of the Dayton Dragons and Peoria Chiefs respectively — indicated they didn't want pitchers playing in the outfield, which is what each team would have needed in two spots.

Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty and Terry Reynolds, director of player development for the Chiefs, were in the stands and spoke by telephone with league President George Spelius, who likely will re-invoke the suspensions today.

Castillo is also being held in the Montgomery County jail on a charge of felonious assault.

Fans had different reactions to the mayhem, and most stayed to see the entire game.

"It was a big brawl," said Ben Means, 25, a fan from New Carlisle. "I like that kind of enthusiasm. It was sweet. We're excited. It's cool."

Joseph Albrecht, a season ticket holder from Oakwood, wasn't so pleased.

"Somebody needs a timeout. I don't think it's the crowd," he said.

Trouble began with Peoria's second batter, who was hit with a pitch by Dayton starter Kyle Lotzkar, the fourth Peoria batter hit in two nights. That may or may not have prompted Castillo to drill Dayton's second batter, Cozart, in the helmet.

By the way, Dayton won, 6-5.

Marc Katz and Steve Bennish write for The Dayton Daily News.


http://www.dailysentinel.com/pro/conten ... awla1.html

#32 Julio Castillo, P



Active
Position: P
Date of Birth: 10/06/1987
Height: 6' 3" Weight: 220 lbs
Bats: R
Throws: R
Resides: Santo Domingo, DR

Biography:
Castillo, who was signed as a free agent in 2004 by the Cubs, joins the Chiefs roster for the second time. He began the season with Peoria last April where he appeared seven times as a reliever but did not factor in a decision. He pitched 8 2/3 innings and struggled with his command by walking 15 batters with only two strikeouts. After leaving the Chiefs in April, he next pitched in June in the Arizona Rookie League where he made two appearances before joining the Boise Hawks of the Northwest League on July 2. With the Hawks, Castillo made seven starts while posting a 0-4 record with a 5.48 ERA. He pitched 23 innings while walking 15 and striking out 12 with Boise. He was then sent back to the AZL on August 16 where he made three more appearances for the AZL Cubs. Overall, he posted a 1-0 record in six outings, three of which were as a starter, with a 1.89 ERA in Mesa in 2007. The right-hander also pitched in Mesa during the 2005 campaign where he made seven appearances and posting a 1-1 record with a 5.57 ERA.


http://www.peoriachiefs.com/team/roster ... yer_id=102

Apparently, he is a foreign national here on a specialized work visa... arrested for a felony assault.

Will ICE revoke his visa and send him home???

Only if he is convicted

Yep, agreed. That is reasonable.

I'm actually not so concerned about what's "reasonable" in a case such as this when we have an invited guest in our country who is accused of a violent assault againt an American citizen. I'm going to error on the side of this country and its citizens. What if he plea bargins down to something less? Are we going to ask him to leave then?

The standard for an invited guest into this country should be higher than that of the average person. This country is not going to suffer because there is one less professional pitcher who is in this country as a guest...

The benchmark should be what's best for this country and not what's best for the individual.

I see your point too NoBueno.

Actually, the one glaring aspect of this that keeps coming back to me is...

Do we really need a BAD pitcher here THAT badly???
(I have a 15 yr old nephew that is 6'1" and about 200lbs that can pitch a fast ball about 90mph and would probably would to have a shot at even a minor league gig...)

Plus, in posting the story I was tacitly trying to raise the question of the treatment of high-skilled or specialized foreign workers in the US and how they are handled when caught doing significant wrongdoing.
Rarely do we hear about these types of people being sent back home - when, in fact, I think it should be followed up by USCIS/USICE more rigorously and the revocation of an individual's work visa - as appropriate. My hunch is, he'll be treated with a typical 'slap on the wrist' and no one will even mention that he is a non-national here on a specialized work visa.

HE SHOULD BE SENT BACK, TOO.