Dominican baseball player Julio Castillo, who plays for the Peoria Chiefs, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, could face deportation.  Last July, when a fight broke out between the Chiefs and the Dayton Dragons, a ball thrown by Mr. Castillo hit a fan in the head. 

Mr. Castillo was convicted of felonious assault causing serious physical harm, and sentenced to 30 days in jail and 3 years of probation. It is still unclear how this conviction will affect his immigration status.

For two games, Peoria and Dayton batters had been hit by pitches.  When the Dayton manager finally complained to the home plate umpire, the Peoria manager came onto the field to join the discussion. When the two managers began arguing, verbally and physically, both teams’ players rushed the field.

According to Mr. Castillo’s attorney, the player was not aiming to hit anyone with the ball; he was just trying to prevent the rest of the Dayton players from rushing the field, but since he could not speak English, he threw the ball at the fencing in front of the Dragons’ dugout.

Midwest League baseball officials suspended and fined 15 players and both teams' managers for the fight.  Mr. Castillo is now on the roster of the Boise Hawks, also a Class A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, but is not allowed to play.

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