Ex-Dodger Julio Urías ordered into treatment after pleading no contest to domestic battery
Former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías was placed on probation for three years and ordered to enter a domestic violence treatment program after pleading no contest to a charge of misdemeanor domestic battery against his wife.
The left-handed pitcher from Sinaloa, Mexico, nicknamed “El Culichi,” closed out the 2020 World Series by striking out Tampa Bay Rays slugger Willy Adames, giving the Dodgers their first championship since 1988.
But in September 2023, the 27-year-old Urías was arrested outside BMO Stadium after an LAFC game. A person alerted police that a man and a woman were involved in a physical altercation, according to a report from the Exposition Park Department of Public Safety.
Police officers approached Urías and the woman — later identified as his wife, Daisy — and “determined a physical altercation had occurred,” the report said. Urías was taken into custody and released the next morning on $50,000 bail.
It remains unclear whether former Dodgers All-Star Julio Urías will ever pitch in the majors again as he awaits a decision on potential misdemeanor charges.
He was charged with five misdemeanors: one count of spousal battery, two counts of domestic battery involving a dating relationship, one count of false imprisonment and one count of assault.
On Wednesday, Urías pleaded no contest to one count of domestic battery and the other four charges were dismissed, according to court records.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ordered Urías to enroll in and pay for a yearlong domestic violence treatment program and attend all his counseling sessions. Instead of jail time, Urías was placed on three years of probation and forbidden during that time to possess, use or own any dangerous weapons. He was also ordered to not use or threaten violence against anyone during that time.
Urías signed with the Dodgers in 2012 and made his major league debut in 2016. But in 2019, Urias was suspended 20 games after being arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence, but was not charged .
Following his arrest, Urías spent the rest of last season — which began with his first career opening day start for the Dodgers — on administrative leave before his contract expired in early November. He remains a free agent, with a career record of 60 wins and 25 losses in 158 appearances.
An investigation by Major League Baseball of the misdemeanor allegations against Urías remains open, according to an MLB spokesperson,
with no timeline on when it will be completed. Typically, MLB investigators interview players accused of violating the league’s policy against domestic violence, the spokesperson said. It is not clear if MLB investigators have spoken to Urías.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
