Thrown Chair Game

Texas Ranger Relief Pitcher Busted

On September 13,2004, while playing the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CA, the 2004 Texas Rangers were involved in a very unique incident (for baseball), which took place late in the game. Relief pitcher Frank Francisco, who was one of the pitchers in the bullpen at the time, threw a chair into the stands in response to heckling from fans. After the game, he was arrested and later pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor assault charge. He was sentenced to three years probation and 500 hours of community service. The Rangers reached an agreement with Craig and Jennifer Bueno over a lawsuit that was filed in Alameda County Superior Court in California, arising out of the incident. Jennifer Bueno was injured in the altercation between members of the Rangers bullpen and her husband, Craig Bueno, who was sitting in the stands down the right-field line. Terms of the settlement were kept private, but the settlement was not reached until early 2007. An official statement read, in part: "The parties are pleased to put this matter behind them. The Rangers organization reiterated their regret over this incident and apologize to Mrs. Bueno for the injury suffered."

Sources

MLB.com