Sausage Attack Overshadows Brewers' Win
By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer
customwire.ap.org
Pittsburgh first baseman Randall Simon whacked a mascot with his bat during a popular sausage race at Miller Park, and prosecutors are considering whether to file charges.
As the mascots raced past the third-base dugout during Wednesday night's Pirates-Brewers game, Simon delivered a two-handed, half swing that knocked over a woman dressed in costume.
"It was very strange," Pirates outfielder Reggie Sanders said.
Simon was booked for misdemeanor battery and released after Milwaukee's 2-1 victory in 12 innings. He met Thursday with prosecutors, who will decide whether to file formal charges.
Outside the district attorney's office, Simon said he spoke to the woman. "I talked to her. I don't need to talk to her again. So I got nothing to say," he said. When asked if he hit the woman on purpose, he responded, "People who know me well know better than that."
The race is a fan favorite at Miller Park. Held between the sixth and seventh innings, people dress as bratwursts, hot dogs, Polish sausages and Italian sausages and run around the field.
Simon reached over a railing and hit the Italian sausage character from behind, causing the 19-year-old woman wearing the outfit to tumble. When she fell, she also knocked over the woman dressed as the hot dog.
"They both were treated at the scene for scraped knees, but at this point I don't think they have any other complaints," said Deputy Inspector Sherry Warichak of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department.
Sanders said he thought the weight of the head on the sausage costume contributed to the fall.
"It maybe made it look worse than it was," Sanders said. "It was an unfortunate situation and, hopefully, it gets resolved." |
