Milwaukee Brewers Pitcher Arrested for DUI

Yovani Gallardo, a right handed starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, was arrested early on Tuesday morning and cited with drunken driving.  According to the report, Gallardo had a blood alcohol level of .22, which is nearly three times the legal limit in Wisconsin.

A Sheriff’s spokeswoman said another driver called 911 to report a suspected drunken driver.  Gallardo’s black Ford-150 pickup track was pulled over at 2:10 a.m. on I-94 in Milwaukee after the deputy spotted it driving very slowly and making erratic lane changes.  Gallardo told the deputy he had been drinking at a local bar nearby that is frequented by Brewers fans.  He was booked at the Milwaukee County Jail after failing a field sobriety test and his pickup truck was towed to an impound lot. He issued a public apology on Tuesday afternoon.

“I just want to apologize to the fans, my teammates, my family,” Gallardo said in a brief media session on the field at Miller Park. “It’s just a bad call. It’s something I shouldn’t have done. I regret it. But at this point there’s nothing I can do about it now. It happened.

In Wisconsin, as a first-time offender, drunken driving is a citation and not a misdemeanor or felony DUI charge.  Gallardo faces nearly $778 in fines for drunken driving and for unsafe driving.  The fines consisted of:

• $300 for his DUI charge
• $300 for his level of intoxication
• $178.80 for deviating lanes

In Major League Baseball, part of the collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union requires that a player charged with drunken driving or off-field violent contact be referred to a treatment board which will establish and supervise an individual treatment program.