Violence & Brawls ·
Offerman’s Playoff Punch Led to a Lifetime League Ban
The Licey manager appeared to strike umpire D.J. Reyburn in January 2010. His club said it would try to appeal, while reports described the umpiring crew resigning amid threats and fears for their safety.
José Offerman came onto the field to discuss an ejection. The confrontation ended with the Licey Tigers manager throwing a punch at first-base umpire D.J. Reyburn, who fell to the ground. On the Monday after the January 2010 playoff game, the Dominican winter league announced a lifetime ban against Offerman.
Licey was trailing the Cibao Giants 6–0 in the third inning of the final game of their semifinal series when plate umpire Jason Bradley ejected catcher Ronny Paulino for arguing balls and strikes. Offerman approached Bradley but ended up arguing with Reyburn. The Associated Press reported that Offerman appeared to hit Reyburn in the face or neck with his fist. A contemporaneous account in the Holland Sentinel said the punch narrowly missed Reyburn’s jaw. Both accounts described the umpire falling.
Stadium security detained Offerman and took him to a police station, where he was to wait until the game ended while officials determined whether Reyburn would seek charges. The reporting supplied no final criminal disposition.
League president Leonardo Matos Berrido announced the ban on January 18, saying the decision had been made shortly after the confrontation. Fernando Ravelo, Licey’s general manager, said the club would try to appeal. Offerman, a former major-league All-Star, had a contract with Licey for the following season. “We know that he is a young man who committed a serious error, but we think that a pardon” could be granted, Ravelo told the Associated Press.
The aftermath also reached the umpiring crew. The Holland Sentinel, citing ESPN, reported that Reyburn and the other three umpires resigned because they feared for their safety after fans threatened them following the game. The newspaper also reported that Reyburn left the Dominican Republic to return to the United States.
In a statement reproduced by the Holland Sentinel from ESPN’s reporting, Offerman called his conduct “unjustifiable.” He described the argument as involving “personal insults which are difficult to tolerate,” while saying he was “terribly sorry.” His apology extended to his family, fans, club executives and baseball organizations for what he called “my inappropriate conduct, against ethics and generally accepted principles of our sport.”