Some sports can be rough on their players, like football, rugby, soccer … but those are expected injuries. It’s unusual for a fan of these sports to become injured in the viewing of the pastime, but last year, a fan was struck by a wildly-thrown baseball during a minor league game between the Peoria Chiefs against the Dayton Dragons in Dayton, Ohio.
The throw was made by Julio Castillo, formerly of the Dominican Republic, who claims he threw the baseball toward the opposing team’s dugout to stop their players from charging the field when an inter-player brawl broke out. It is possible that this was the case; people don’t think clearly when angry and under stress.
Of course, this doesn’t excuse what happened, but it’s also important to consider the intention behind the offending act. If Castillo had thrown the ball into the stands purposefully to hurt someone, I’d think that would carry much greater penalty, but I also understand the need to set an example, even in the case of an accident.
Castillo faces a possible 2 to 8 years in prison, should the judge decide to throw the book at him. There might be other options, however, but it remains to be seen what the judge will do.
I thought about turning this story into a call for parents to stress responsibility during sports play, but instead I think it might be better to ask parents to remember that sometimes the feeling of guilt over a wrongdoing is enough of a punishment in and of itself, and to really gauge the child’s reaction when considering punitive measures. Too far in the wrong direction at the wrong age can have far-reaching negative consequences, sometimes acting directly opposite the hoped-for result. Please be kind when judging offense.
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