Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Omar Vizquel has been accused of domestic violence by his wife.
The former star shortstop, who played four seasons with the Giants, is under MLB investigation, Blanca Vizquel coming forward publicly and describing multiple incidents of violence over the past decade before she left him in August after a heated argument and is filing for divorce. The Athletic’s thorough report shows a far different side to a beloved Giant and Hall of Fame contender, entering his fourth season on the ballot and needing a nudge to get through.
An attorney for Vizquel told the website that Vizquel “flatly denies any allegations of domestic violence.”
According to Blanca, Omar had threatened her against speaking out about their marriage. After the August incident at their Arizona home, she fled to a women’s shelter in Texas. Vizquel reportedly froze her credit cards and removed her name from their bank account. His financial warning was being lived out, and she decided to speak.
“It’s devastating because the person you love is supposed to protect you, and when (he’s) the one who’s hurting you … it’s like slow motion and you’re scared and then the police are there, and you know you can’t take it back,” Blanca told The Athletic.
In December 2011, Blanca’s sister heard her screams and went into her room to find Vizquel strangling her. In court records, the witness said Vizquel admitted to hitting Blanca and pulling her hair.
Charges were later dismissed when both Vizquel and Blanca said they “lost control of ourselves which resulted in physical contact between us.”
In 2016, Blanca tried to keep Vizquel out of her room during a fight by placing dumbbells against the door, but he barged through. She says he screamed at her and pushed her, making her fall and injuring her shin while breaking multiple nails. Vizquel was booked for fourth-degree assault but not prosecuted after Blanca asked charges be dropped.
Additionally, MLB is looking into a 2019 incident involving a male team employee that occurred while Vizquel was managing Double-A Birmingham, a White Sox affiliate. Vizquel was fired a month before his contract expired.
“While Omar Vizquel has not been employed by a Major League organization for some time, we are aware of the allegations and will continue to look into them,” MLB said in a statement to The Athletic.
