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Cards investigating after Martinez defies COVID-19 rules in Dominican Republic

Jamie Squire / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking into an incident involving pitcher Carlos Martinez, who violated COVID-19 restrictions in his hometown in the Dominican Republic over the weekend, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers.

Martinez was detained by authorities after he rode a motorcycle through a large, maskless street party with popular singer La Perversa on the back of the bike.

Photos and videos of the incident recently surfaced on social media.

"The St. Louis Cardinals were informed earlier today that Carlos Martínez had participated in a public gathering event this past weekend in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic," a statement from the organization read.

"We are currently gathering details from this event, but it is our understanding that Carlos was not arrested nor are there any pending legal charges against him. Certainly, we would not condone anyone from our organization knowingly violating community laws or health regulations."

The 29-year-old pitcher apologized for his involvement in the incident with a social media post on Monday.

Martinez pitched 20 innings for the Cardinals last season, going 0-3 with a 9.90 ERA.

He was one of the many Cardinals players who contracted COVID-19 last season, making several trips to the hospital because of severe symptoms.

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