By Ben Fractenberg
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez was released on $7,500 bail Wednesday after being arraigned on criminal contempt charges in a Queens court, the Associated Press reported.
K-Rod is accused of sending dozens of text messages to his estranged girlfriend, Daian Peña, in defiance of a judge's order that he cease all contact with her. He could face up to a year in prison, prosecutors said.
The star pitcher is already facing harassment charges in connection with an alleged Aug 11 assault on Carlos Peña, Daian's father, in the Mets clubhouse at Citi Field after a game against the Colorado Rockies.
Prosecutors assert that Rodriguez was angry about his performance in the game and took it out on his family. The altercation reportedly began after Carlos Peña yelled at K-Rod's Rodriguez's mother.
K-Rod shared a house with Daian Peña in Old Brookville, N.Y., but moved out of the home a few days after the alleged incident. The Mets pitcher is the father of Peña's New York-born twins.
Rodriguez's baseball season ended after he injured himself in the fight. The four-time All Star tore a ligament in his thumb and needed to have surgery. He was placed on the disqualified list by the Mets and won't be paid until he comes off the list.
K-Rod has been the closer for the Mets since signing a three-year, $37 million contract with New York in December 2008. He saved a MLB-record 62 games for the Los Angeles Angels in 2008. He's saved a total of 60 games in two years with the Mets, including 25 this season.
