Rockies reliever Luis Vizcaino was arrested early Monday morning in Tampa, Fla., on a drunken-driving charge. In response, the Rockies issued a statement expressing their disappointment.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation and have been in contact with Luis and his representatives,” the Rockies’ statement said.
Vizcaino, 34, who lives in St. Petersburg, Fla., was driving a red 2009 Cadillac sedan when he was clocked at 71 mph in a 45 mph zone at 1:31 a.m. EDT, according to Tampa police. According to the police report, after Vizcaino was stopped, an officer noticed Vizcaino had glassy eyes and smelled of alcohol. Vizcaino subsequently failed a field sobriety test, and according to police his blood-alcohol level was 0.084 and 0.087. In Florida, a driver is presumed impaired with a 0.08 blood-alcohol level. Vizcaino was held at Hillsborough County Jail on $500 bond.
Vizcaino, the team’s major free-agent signing last winter (two years, $7.5 million), had a poor season with a 5.28 ERA in 43 games.
“For me, I didn’t pitch enough. That was hard. I like pitching every day,” Vizcaino told The Denver Post. “I don’t like going into games that are 10-1 or 11-1. I want to be out there for the close games.”
Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd could not be reached for comment.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
