Ex-major leaguer Sandberg testifies that pitcher’s throw that hurt fan was below full velocity

Sandberg: Pitcher’s throw was below full velocity

DAYTON, Ohio — Former Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg has testified that a minor league pitcher wouldn’t have been throwing at top velocity during an on-field brawl when he hurled a baseball that injured a fan.

Twenty-two-year-old Julio Castillo (HOO’-lee-oh kuh-STEE’-yoh), from the Dominican Republic, is on trial in Dayton on charges of felonious assault. He is accused of throwing a baseball during the melee in Dayton last July and striking a fan in the head. Castillo has pleaded not guilty.

Sandberg testified Wednesday that video and photographs show Castillo making a regular throw, not a pitch with a windup.

Castillo was pitching for the Peoria Chiefs, a Class A affiliate of the Cubs. Sandberg was the Chiefs’ manager last season but wasn’t at the game.

Information from: Dayton Daily News, www.daytondailynews.com