It didn’t take three strikes to get an overzealous Mets fan out of Shea Stadium. It took just a single high-powered flashlight he used to blind opposing players during the eighth inning of a home game last month.
Frank Martinez, 40, has been banned from Shea – but first he’ll have to do 15 days behind bars for his laser-light-shining shenanigans when the Atlanta Braves visited the Mets on April 20.
Martinez struck a deal in Queens Criminal Court yesterday to avoid doing a whole year in jail. The Bronx man pleaded guilty to interfering with a sporting event and agreed to stay away from Shea for the next three years.
From his seat behind home plate, Martinez admitted he used a high-powered flashlight at around 10:15 p.m. to temporarily blind Braves pitcher Tim Hudson and shortstop Edgar Renteria, as well as the second base umpire, Paul Emmel.
The flashlight is more commonly used for tactical and self-defense purposes, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
With batted balls traveling up to 110 mph, blinding the pitcher was both dangerous to players and spectators, said Queens DA Richard Brown. The Mets ended up losing the game, 7-3.