Bridgeport, Conn. – Looking for a last chance in the majors, former two-time all-star Jose Offerman turned violent at a minor-league game Tuesday night. Hit by a fastball, Offerman charged the mound with his bat and swung at least twice, striking the opposing pitcher and catcher.
Offerman, playing for the Long Island (N.Y.) Ducks, was arrested on assault charges. The Atlantic League suspended him indefinitely Wednesday and expected to make a final decision by the end of the week.
Bridgeport catcher John Nathans suffered a concussion that’s likely to sideline him for the rest of the season. Pitcher Matt Beech wound up with a broken finger.
“I’ve never been so surprised in my life,” Beech said, cradling a bandaged right hand. “As soon as he got hit in the calf, he raised the bat above his head and ran toward me to hit me with the bat.”
Offerman, who last played in the majors in 2005 with the New York Mets, was hoping a strong showing with the Ducks might boost his career. He was hitting .335 for the independent team, and sent the first pitch of Tuesday night’s game sailing into the net beyond the left-field fence for a home run.
When he came up again the next inning, he got hit in the left leg by Beech’s second pitch.
That’s when Offerman went wild.
Nathans was hit when he came running out to protect his pitcher. Beech got a broke middle finger on his glove hand.
“He swung the first time at my head and it was kind of like a helicopter follow-through, and I believe that is when John got hit in the back of the head,” Beech said.
The game was delayed about 20 minutes and Offerman, Beech and Bridgeport manager and former major-league pitcher Tommy John were ejected.
City police, providing security during the game, arrested Offerman. He was charged with two counts of second-degree assault.
Offerman posted $10,000 bond and is due in Bridgeport Superior Court Aug. 23.
