Martínez implicated in event ignoring local COVID-19 restrictions in Dominican

Video being circulated on social media appears to show Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martínez participating in a large motorcycle parade in his native Dominican Republic over the weekend, an event that reportedly led to his arrest for violation of local COVID-19 pandemic protocols, but the Cardinals say they’re not aware of any arrest or charges being filed.

Héctor Gómez, a sports journalist in the Dominican Republic, tweeted a photo of a mask-less Martínez on a motorcycle with singer Denisse Michelle Tejeda, known as “La Perversa,” and a video that appears to show him in the motorcycle parade, an event that was light on masks and social distancing. Gómez also reported that Martínez had been taken into custody.

Here’s the video. https://t.co/kSNl8eGh1j pic.twitter.com/oQsIVeRpCE

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) November 23, 2020

The Cardinals released a statement on the situation Monday afternoon:

“The St. Louis Cardinals were informed earlier today that Carlos Martínez had participated in a public gathering event this past weekend in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

“We are currently gathering details from this event, but it is our understanding that Carlos was not arrested nor are there any pending legal charges against him.

“Certainly, we would not condone anyone from our organization knowingly violating community laws or health regulations.”

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Martínez’s representative told him the pitcher had not been arrested, but that he could face charges and a possible fine. The public gathering also may have been part of a music video being filmed.

Spoke to Martinez’s representative, and here’s what he said: #stlcards pitcher is not currently and was not in custody. He may face a fine for violations. He was being part of the filming of a video, and that drew a crowd in his hometown. https://t.co/mQtuMGGu3M

— Derrick S. Goold (@dgoold) November 23, 2020