This photo provided by the Milwaukee County Sheriff shows Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo. Gallardo was cited for drunken driving. (April 16, 2013) Credit: AP
MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo was arrested on a drunken-driving charge Tuesday after authorities say he was driving on a city highway with a blood-alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit.
Deputies responded about 2 a.m. to a report of a possibly intoxicated driver, Milwaukee County sheriff's spokeswoman Fran McLaughlin said. She said a caller reported seeing a driver repeatedly swerving between lanes, and deputies spotted Gallardo driving alone at 40 mph in a 55-mph zone.
"He was very cooperative," McLaughlin said. "He said he had a couple of beers."
The arrest report says Gallardo had red glassy eyes, slurred speech and an odor of alcohol, and that he failed field-sobriety tests. Authorities say a breath test revealed a blood-alcohol level of 0.22, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08, and the reading was matched by a second breath test following his arrest.
Messages left with the Brewers were not immediately returned. The team was opening a three-game home series against San Francisco on Tuesday night.
In Wisconsin, first-offense drunken driving is a citation, not a misdemeanor or felony charge. McLaughlin said Gallardo faces nearly $800 in fines for drunken driving and for unsafe driving.
Gallardo was a 16-game winner last season, his fourth consecutive season with at least 200 strikeouts. But he gave up six runs in a loss Saturday to St. Louis and is 0-1 in three starts this season with a 6.61 ERA. The team have already endured a 32-inning scoreless streak and entered Tuesday's game at 3-8, worst in the Central Division.
