Ex-pitcher Greg Reynolds, who broke hand punching naked LSD attacker, wins over $2 million

Tom Schad | USA TODAY

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Former MLB pitcher Greg Reynolds believes his baseball career was cut short after he punched a naked man on LSD who was trying to break into his home in 2015.

On Monday, a California jury agreed, awarding Reynolds and his wife, Megan, a settlement north of $2.2 million.

"The Defendants’ reckless behavior cost Greg Reynolds his dream of being a Major League Baseball player," Reynolds' attorney, Niall McCarthy, wrote in a statement confirming the settlement. "We are gratified by the jury’s verdict."

Reynolds was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 MLB draft and made 21 starts with the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds over parts of three seasons. After spending the 2014 season in Japan, the Stanford product was working toward a return to the majors when he was attacked in January 2015.

According to a complaint filed in San Mateo County Superior Court, Reynolds heard a 19-year-old man, Domenic Pintarelli, making a commotion and attempting to destroy a mailbox outside his home in a gated California community. Reynolds approached Pintarelli, asking him if he was OK. Pintarelli then attacked Reynolds, sent him retreating back to his home and subsequently attempted to break down Reynolds' door, according to the complaint.

Fearing for his safety along with his then-girlfriend, Reynolds claims he went outside to confront Pintarelli and punched him in the face, which resulted in "multiple fractures" in his pitching hand. Pintarelli was naked and yelling incoherently when subdued by police, who determined that he had been using acid, according to Reynolds' complaint.

Reynolds, who is now 32, argued in court that the broken index finger he suffered as a result of the attack affected his ability to pitch and curtailed his career.

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"The initial shock of the whole event was pretty bad for awhile," Reynolds told The Mercury News. "But you have to pick yourself up and move on. We’re trying to put this behind us and move forward, and the result of the trial will definitely help us do that."

Reynolds later signed a minor-league contract with the San Diego Padres but was released in May 2016. The Mercury News reported that Reynolds has since earned his economics degree at Stanford and now works in finance.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.