By Jim Scott
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez could face more charges after violating an order of protection by sending his girlfriend text messages.
Assistant Queens District Attorney Scott Kessler said Tuesday that K-Rod sent his girlfriend, Daian Peña, 56 text messages in violation of a court order of protection, the New York Post reported.
"The one thing I understand I made a mistake, the biggest of my life but I love you," one of Rodriguez's texts said.
The prosecutor asked that the fiery Mets pitcher be taken into custody, but his request was denied by the judge in the case.
K-Rod was in court in Queens Tuesday for a routine hearing to address assault and harassment charges filed against him after he allegedly punched Peña's father in the Mets clubhouse at Citi Field after a game against the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 11.
Prosecutors claim Rodriguez was angry about his performance in the game and took it out on his family. Carlos Peña, his girlfriend's father, allegedly yelled at Rodriguez's mother, sparking the physical altercation.
K-Rod could be facing trouble in civil court too. His girlfriend and her father have hired lawyer Jeff Korek to represent them, the Daily News reported.
"We'll be looking into advocating in the best interests of the father-in-law, Ms. Peña and their two children," Korek, a partner in the Manhattan firm of Gersowitz, Libo & Korek, told the paper.
K-Rod shared a house with Daian Peña in Old Brookville, N.Y., but has since moved out of the home. 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.
