A year has passed since the incident took place. Julio Yurias, a 28-year-old Mexican left-hander who was arrested on charges of domestic violence and placed on administrative leave by the Major League Baseball secretariat, has wasted one year this year. Although he is an FA, he is highly unlikely to return to the Major League. Public opinion is still not favorable.
The U.S. “LA Times” said on the 19th (Korea Standard Time), “The video of former LA Dodgers pitcher Urias tells why clubs should not sign him,” adding that Urias punched his wife in the video at the time of the incident.
The 72-second video clip obtained by the Los Angeles Times confirmed that Urias punched him. The LA Times reported that although it is unclear whether his wife was hit or not, the fact is that Urias punched him. The existence of the video could jeopardize the possibility of him throwing the ball again in the Major League. If there is a team that is considering recruiting, it will be hesitant to watch the video.
The incident took place on Sept. 4 last year at BMO Stadium, the home stadium of LAFC in the Major League Baseball. Witnesses reported that Yurias pushed his wife to the fence and pulled her hair and shoulders. Yurias was released on bail the next day after being arrested by police on the spot, but the Major League Baseball secretariat took an administrative leave of absence. The Dodgers is also quickly taking actions to remove traces of Yurias, ranging from clubhouse lockers to murals in the stadium. After the season, the team ended its relationship with the Dodgers after being released as an FA.
In April, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office indicted Yurias on five misdemeanor charges. Accepting the punishment without raising an objection, Yurias will complete 36 months of probation, 30 days of community service, and 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling. Five months have passed since the judicial process ended, but the Major League Baseball Secretariat has yet to take disciplinary action. According to the LA Times, the secretariat is still collecting evidence related to the case and has remained silent about whether Yurias will be disciplined.
If Yurias is disciplined by the secretariat, he will be the first player to be punished twice for domestic violence. The Major League Secretariat and the players’ union signed a treaty to prevent domestic violence, sexual violence and child abuse in August 2015, and have imposed strict penalties on players who violate it. Yurias was suspended for 20 games in May 2019 for assaulting his girlfriend. Given that it is the second time, aggravated punishment is expected for “objection.”
The LA Times said, “Yurias needs to complete a domestic violence treatment program as part of a sentence agreement, but it is hard to get rid of his uncontrollable anger. Public opinion is as important as a court ruling in professional sports,” adding, “Yurias lost control of his future as soon as he punched him. He is the only one who should be held accountable for this difficult situation. It is a pity that we have to rely on the mercy of the commissioners, secretariat, teams and fans.”
If the secretariat issues a suspension, it will likely include a period of absence this year. Chances are high that he will be able to play in games next year, but it is questionable whether conservative Major League teams will reach out to him. Trevor Bauer, a “fake pitcher” who won the 2020 National League Cy Young Award, was acquitted of charges of sexual assault at the Dodgers in June 2021, but was released, and has yet to return to the Major League even after the secretariat’s disciplinary action was over. He is continuing his career in Mexico this year after playing in Japan last year.
Since his debut in 2016, left-hander Yurias, a Mexican fireballer, has recorded a total of 158 games (122 starts, 717 innings) in the Major League season until last year, with 60 wins, 25 losses, 4 saves, 8 holds, and a 3.11 strikeout and 710 ERA. Yurias, who won the Dodgers with a save in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series, became the NL’s most wins with 20 wins in 2021, and spent the third-place season of the Cy Young Award in 2022 with the No. 1 NL ERA (2.16).
Last year, he was sluggish in 21 games (117 ⅓ innings) with 11 wins and eight losses and an ERA of 4.60 due to hamstring injury, but he was considered the highest-rated pitcher in the FA market at the young age of 27. Expectations were high on Scott Boras as a client of “Super Agent” Scott Boras, who signed a mega free agent contract worth more than 200 million U.S. dollars, but he blew all of them with a fist sandwich. As he wasted the past year, his market value is gradually falling. Realistically, he is forced to watch Japan or other leagues rather than returning to the 스포츠토토 Major League.