Pitcher accused of beaning Ohio fan with baseball says he was throwing downward toward dugout

Pitcher says he wasn’t throwing ball at anyone

DAYTON, Ohio — A minor-league pitcher accused of throwing a baseball that injured a fan says he threw it downward toward a dugout to try to keep opposing players from rushing the field during an on-field melee in Ohio.

Twenty-two-year-old Julio Castillo (HOO’-lee-oh kuh-STEE’-yoh) testified Thursday that 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.

Castillo, of the Dominican Republic, was pitching for the Peoria Chiefs against the Dayton Dragons when the 10-minute bench-clearing brawl broke out last July. A fan suffered a concussion after getting struck by a ball he threw.

Castillo has pleaded not guilty to felonious assault.