Remember Ken Pagan? You probably don’t remember his name, but you very well might remember what he did.
During an ALCS game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, a Toronto fan chucked a beer at Baltimore outfielder Hyun Soo Kim as he was attempting to catch a fly ball. The beer missed but not by much. The Orioles and police both tried to identify the beer-thrower but were unable to at first as he’d apparently fled. A day later, his face was plastered across websites in the U.S. and Canada. By that evening, Pagan turned himself in and was charged with mischief.
Pagan, who was at the time a copy editor for Postmedia, was likely to be banned from Rogers Centre after the incident. Now, he’ll never set foot inside any Major League Baseball stadium (as a paying customer) again.
Per the National Post, Pagan was given a conditional discharge on Wednesday which came with a few conditions. He must complete 100 hours of community service, stay away from the Rogers Centre, and he has been banned from attending all Major League Baseball games.
Before the verdict, Pagan had pled guilty to mischief and offered an apology to both teams, Kim, and baseball fans in general.
“My emotions got the best of me in an exciting moment and my reaction is a deeply regrettable mistake, something I’ve been torn about since the moment it happened,” he said. “I am fully aware of the disgrace I brought to the game.”
Pagan also told the court that because of the incident he lost his job with Postmedia and was forced to take “less satisfying work, including delivering pizza.”
As for whether or not the Blue Jays will lift the ban on beer cans they instituted in the playoffs following Pagan’s toss, well, we’ll have to wait and see if they make the playoffs first.
[National Post]
