TORONTO -- The man who threw a beer can at a Baltimore Orioles outfielder during a playoff game against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre has been sentenced to 200 hours of community service and ordered to stay away from major league ballparks for one year.
Ken Pagan received a conditional discharge, meaning he won't have a criminal record if he complies with his probation. He pleaded guilty to mischief last month.
Tyler Smith, Pagan's attorney, told Justice Robert Bigelow that his client has suffered since the incident, losing his job as a copy editor and being subject to public ridicule. Bigelow took that into account when he delivered the sentence.
Pagan apologized to Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, both teams and baseball fans during his court appearance Wednesday.
"I have been a passionate baseball fan since getting hooked as an 8-year-old in the summer of 1983 and I am fully aware of the disgrace I brought to the game and the embarrassment this caused, particularly to the Toronto Blue Jays organization and the great fans of Toronto," said Pagan, whose voice was trembling, according to the Toronto Star.
Coincidentally, the Orioles are in Toronto this week for a three-game series.
Before Wednesday's game, Kim said he had received a letter of apology from Pagan and that he forgave him.
"People make mistakes, so I'm sure it's not going to happen again. I appreciate it," Kim said through an interpreter, according to the Baltimore Sun.
"Just the fact that he got punished for what he did, I think that was enough," Kim, who is from South Korea, told reporters. "I think I am sure that will make people think twice before doing something like that again."
Following the incident during the AL wild-card game in October, beer sold at Rogers Centre was poured into cups for the remainder of the postseason.
Orioles outfielder Adam Jones, who had lobbied for Pagan to be charged last year, said he was hoping for a harsher punishment.
"I am firm believer of harsh punishment, especially for people who do that. I know he's lost his job; 200 hours of community service is a lot. I don't know the extents of the ban. ... A year? That might not be enough.
"I've always been a firm believer of fining people monetarily because at the end of the day that's where it hurts people. But as long as Kim is over it, I stick with my teammate and I'm gonna have to be a big man and be over it, too," Jones said Wednesday, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.