Ex-MLB pitcher awarded more than $2 million for hand injury
Former major league pitcher Greg Reynolds and his wife were awarded more than $2.2 million by a California jury this week for injuries he suffered after punching a naked man who was trying to break into his home in 2015 while under the influence of drugs.
Reynolds was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 MLB draft and made it to the majors with the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds. After a season in Japan, he was working toward a return to the majors at the time of the January 2015 incident.
Reynolds, 32, said in San Mateo County Superior Court that the broken index finger he suffered affected his ability to pitch and curtailed his career.
According to the complaint, Reynolds heard Domenic Pintarelli, 19, making a commotion outside his home. Reynolds said he approached Pintarelli to ask if he was OK but was attacked. Reynolds said he retreated to his home but Pintarelli pursued him and attempted to break down the door.
Fearing for his safety along with his then-girlfriend, Reynolds said he confronted Pintarelli and punched him in the face, which resulted in multiple fractures in his pitching hand.
Pintarelli was naked and yelling incoherently when tracked down by police, who determined that he had been using LSD, according to Reynolds' complaint.
Pintarelli was convicted on assault charges. The civil trial jury found both Pintarelli and his host, Connor Pope, were liable for the loss of Reynolds' baseball career.
He was 6-11 with a 7.01 ERA in 21 games in the majors.
Reynolds later signed a minor-league contract with the San Diego Padres but was released in May 2016. He has since earned his economics degree at Stanford, The Mercury News in San Jose reported.
"The initial shock of the whole event was pretty bad for awhile," Reynolds "But you have to pick yourself up and move on. We're trying to put this behind us and move forward, and the result of the trial will definitely help us do that."
-- Field Level Media
