Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo was arrested early this morning after being pulled over for driving drunk in Milwaukee.
The All-Star pitcher was stopped at 2:10 a.m. for driving slowly on Interstate 94 and "deviating lanes" near Miller Park. After failing a field sobriety test, Gallardo blew a BAC of 0.22, almost three times Wisconsin's legal limit of 0.08.
Since Gallardo has no previous criminal history and this was a first offense, he won't be facing any jail time but will have to pay a few fines. First offense OWI in Wisconsin is a $300 fine, but Gallardo will face another $300 fine on top of that due to how intoxicated he was, and another $178.80 for the reckless lane changes.
The outrageously high BAC means Gallardo may be facing a couple other measures due to Wisconsin law, too — he could have his license suspended for 6-9 months, and since he blew over a 0.15, an Ignition Interlock Device for his vehicle will be mandatory.
With all that, Wisconsin still has some of the most lax drunk driving laws in the country (and I'd be willing to bet you could nab at least a couple hundred Brewers fans with BACs driving out of Miller Park after a game — it's the culture of the state, sadly). Even despite the 0.22 BAC, Gallardo won't be facing a court appearance, because in Wisconsin first offense only gets you a ticket, no court date.
If baseball's history with DUI/OWI arrests is any indication, though, that'll be the only punishment Gallardo receives. He's scheduled to start Thursday at home against the Giants, and it'd be a bit of a surprise if he misses that start, either by team or league suspension.
By all accounts, Gallardo is a nice guy, and it's entirely possible this is one giant, unbelievably stupid mistake on an otherwise clean slate. At the same time, there's no excuse for driving drunk — let alone THAT drunk — and the Brewers are lucky baseball's priorities are so out of whack. Drunk driving arrests will generally be ignored, but god help you if your name is on a piece of paper at a Miami clinic.
