Mitch Williams and Rick Ankiel Feel Juan Castillo’s Pain

Of course I threw a wild pitch and didn’t hit my target. I’m in the minors. If I could throw strikes, I’d be in the majors. That would probably carry more weight than “I was aiming for the dugout but beaned a fan in the forehead”. Oh wait.

Juan Castillo was pitching for the Peoria Chiefs against the Dayton Dragons last year when a brawl broke out. He claimed in court that he threw the ball at the Dayton dugout to prevent the benches from clearing. If he was looking to be charged with felonious assault, his plan worked perfectly.

…Castillo said he had been having pitching control problems earlier in the game, became frightened as the brawl began, and did not throw at an opposing player or with the intention of hitting anyone.

“I saw that the players with the Dragons were coming,” the Spanish-speaking Castillo said, testifying through a translator. “I was nervous and frightened. I threw the ball in front of the dugout to see if they would go back. I didn’t throw it to hit anyone.”

Castillo is now on the Boise Hawks, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. That’s about right. He’s ineligible to play pending the outcome of the legal proceedings.

Three Peoria players were hit by pitches in the previous game. Castillo pegged two batters including one who took a pitch in the head. A retaliatory hard slide into second kicked things off. 15 players including Castillo and both managers were tossed, fined and suspended for their actions. Everyone knows the first move in a brawl is to karate kick the catcher then run at the opposing team with a bat.

Filed under: Baseball Brawls • Crime • Daytona Dragons • Juan Castillo • Minor League Baseball • Peoria Chiefs

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