Francisco Rodriguez violated an order protection issued after he allegedly beat up his gal's dad by texting his girlfriend 56 times -- an alleged crime that nearly landed the Mets closer in the clink today.
"All I want to do is see my children," K-Rod wrote to Daian Pena, the mother of his children, in a text message translated from Spanish. "I want to find a solution to this. Your parents are manipulating you like a marionette."
The hot-headed Mets closer texted his ex 56 times -- 37 times from New York and 19 more times on a trip to Venezuela, said Queens Assistant District Attorney Scott Kessler, who heads the domestic violence bureau.
"I understand that perhaps I made a mistake, the biggest mistake of my life for doing what I did, but I love you," said another message to the ex-girlfriend.
All of the messages were about seeing his children, twins who turn 1-year-old today amid this family drama, authorities said. Rodriguez's messages became increasingly aggressive, Kessler said.
The ADA asked Criminal Court Judge Robert Raciti to put Rodriguez back in jail and the four-time All-Star pitcher was immediately surrounded by court officers, one of whom took off handcuffs and clicked them open.
The pitcher's attorney Christopher Booth angrily objected.
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“There are no threats in those messages," Booth said. "There are no menacing comments in them. Mr. Rodriguez had a misunderstanding about the system’s requirements. He loves his children and he just wants to see them."
Over strenuous objection from the prosecutor, Judge Raciti denied a change in bail status.
ADA Kessler said that he intended to charge Rodriguez with violating the order of protection -- itself a criminal offense that could bring additional penalties.
Rodriguez was arrested Aug. 11 and accused of attacking 53-year-old Carlos Pena outside a family lounge at the ballpark. Pena went to a hospital with a scrape and swelling above his right eyebrow.
The excitable, 28-year-old pitcher signed a $37 million, three-year contract with the Mets after saving a record 62 games with the Angels in 2008. He is 4-2 with 25 saves and a 2.24 ERA this season.
Rodriguez has had previous confrontations with a team official, a coach and an opponent in his 1 1/2 seasons with the Mets, though none reached this level.
Prosecutors released many of K-Rod's texts and entered them into the court record:
