Column: Video of former Dodgers pitcher Julio UrÃas gives teams reasons not to sign him
The angle from which the video was shot obscures whether the haymaker thrown by Julio UrÃas struck his wife.
What’s indisputable is this: He threw the punch.
The Times obtained from the California Highway Patrol a 72-second recording of the incident that derailed UrÃas’ once-promising baseball career, and its existence could jeopardize the former Dodgers left-hander’s chances of ever pitching in the major leagues again.
California Highway Patrol released witness video of former Dodgers pitcher Julio UrÃas’ domestic dispute
Does it matter whether the punch landed?
That could be the most important question that Major League Baseball and its franchises ask themselves when determining whether the 28-year-old UrÃas deserves another chance to pitch on the sport’s greatest stage. UrÃas, who hasn’t pitched this season, remains a free agent.
The commissioner’s office continues to investigate the incident outside of LAFC’s BMO Stadium on Sept. 3 of last year, for which UrÃas pleaded no contest to misdemeanor domestic battery. MLB placed UrÃas on administrative leave but has not said if he will be the first player suspended twice under the league’s domestic violence policy. The time he missed this season will presumably count toward his punishment.
A witness video shows former Dodgers pitcher Julio UrÃas charging toward his wife, pushing her and attempting to punch in her direction.
Provided that UrÃas is cleared to return at some point, the league’s 30 teams will have to consider the distinction between what he is known to have done and what he tried to do. When deliberating whether to sign him, every team might not reach the same conclusion.
However, every team will have pause when reviewing the video, which was provided to The Times’ Bill Shaikin in response to a California Public Records Act request.
UrÃas is shown chasing two women on a sidewalk before he grabs one of them, presumably his wife, from behind. He pushes her into a fence, at which point they are separated by a man in an LAFC Carlos Vela jersey. UrÃas throws a roundhouse punch with his pitching hand and unleashes a stream of expletives in Spanish. The man in the Vela jersey continues to intervene and is eventually assisted by stadium security, prompting UrÃas to walk away.
The footage is uncomfortable to watch. UrÃas is required to complete a domestic violence treatment program as part of his plea agreement, but the images and sounds of his controllable rage will be hard to shake. Professional sports are businesses, making the court of public opinion almost as important as the court of law. The video might not prevent UrÃas from finding another job in MLB, but it certainly won’t help.
He threw the punch, after all.
Julio UrÃas was placed on probation and ordered to take a domestic violence treatment course for misdemeanor charges of battering his wife.
There’s nothing UrÃas or his representatives can say that would change this reality. No argument they make can justify this behavior.
UrÃas has only himself to blame for his predicament, as he forfeited control of his future the moment he threw that punch. He now finds himself counting on the mercy of the commissioner’s office, the teams and the teams’ respective fans.
What a waste.
UrÃas was widely believed to be in line for a nine-figure contract entering his final season under the Dodgers’ control last year. He was named the team’s opening-day starter.
In addition to removing murals around Dodger Stadium, the team also removed Julio UrÃas’ locker from the clubhouse in the wake of his arrest.
The former 20-game winner didn’t live up to expectations on the field, as he was 11-8 with a 4.60 earned-run average in 21 starts. The disappointment over his performance was nothing compared to the feeling of betrayal in the wake of the altercation at BMO Stadium. The fans here overlooked his previous domestic violence suspension in 2019. The image of him celebrating his World Series-clinching save in 2020 was, to them, what Kirk Gibson’s home run was to the previous generation.
They will now remember UrÃas for an entirely different kind of moment, one much darker and more violent. He can’t return to the Dodgers, and he won’t. In the coming weeks, months or maybe even years, he will learn if a new team will grant him a new platform to create new memories in a new place.
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