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\n Related: <\/span>Ex MLB Player Dan Serafini Sentenced to Life in Prison for Shooting In-Laws<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tFormer MLB player Dan Serafini has been sentenced to life in prison for shooting his in-laws. On Friday, February 27, a judge sentenced Serafini, 52, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of his father-in-law Gary Spohr and the attempted murder of mother-in-law Wendy Wood. Serafini\u2019s sentencing comes seven months [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In July 2025, a jury found Serafini guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and first-degree burglary. His sentencing was originally scheduled for August 2025, but was ultimately postponed. He was officially sentenced in February 2026.<\/p>\n
Keep scrolling to learn more about the disgraced former MLB pitcher:\n<\/p>\n
Serafini\u2019s MLB Career Spanned 11 Years<\/h2>\n
Serafini was a first round draft pick by the Minnesota Twins in the 1992 MLB Draft, selected right out of high school.<\/p>\n
After four seasons in the minor leagues, Serafini made his MLB debut on June 25, 1996, against the New York Yankees. He pitched 4.1 innings and allowed four runs. After his lackluster start, was sent back down to the minor leagues.<\/p>\n
He pitched for the Twins again for part of the 1997 and 1998 seasons before the Chicago Cubs purchased his contract.<\/p>\n
After just one season with the Cubs, he was traded again \u2014 to the San Diego Padres \u2014 in 1999.<\/p>\n
Serafini also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates but was released in 2001. He did not pitch in the majors for either the 2001 and 2002 seasons.<\/p>\n
During that time, he played some more minor league baseball \u2014 and even had a stint in the Mexican League \u2014 before joining the Cincinnati Reds in 2003.<\/p>\n
Serafini took another break from MLB from 2004 to 2007, when he played Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. He later traveled back to the U.S. to join the Colorado Rockies in 2007.<\/p>\n
Serafini Was Suspended 50 Games For A Failed Performance-Enhancing Drug Test<\/h2>\n
After Serafini\u2019s MLB return, he tested positive for a performance enhancing drug and was subsequently handed a 50 game suspension. He said at the time that the drug was given to him by a Japanese doctor to help him recover from a torn Achilles.<\/p>\n
Serafini claimed that he asked the doctor to testify for him, but the doctor requested $500,000 in exchange.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got completely hosed by Major League Baseball,\u201d he claimed to SF Gate<\/em> at the time. \u201cMy kids read stuff in the paper that I was cheating. It was bull****. I\u2019ve been kind of blackballed in the States ever since.\u201d<\/p>\nHe never pitched in the big leagues after his suspension, finishing his career back in the Mexican League.<\/p>\n\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-1830134.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Fernando Medina\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSerafini Owned A Baseball Academy And A Bar<\/h2>\n
After he finished his baseball career, Serafini shifted gears and opened a pitching academy called \u201cThrow Like a Pro Baseball Academy.\u201d He also opened a bar, \u201cBullpen Bar.\u201d Both businesses were in Sparks, Nevada.<\/p>\n
\u201cBullpen Bar\u201d was featured on the show Bar Rescue, which revealed that Serafini\u2019s staff \u201ctreated the bar like it was their personal liquor cabinet,\u201d which put the former pitcher $300,000 in debt.<\/p>\n
Serafini Was Married To Erin Spohr, Daughter To Gary And Wendy<\/h2>\n
Serafini and Erin Spohr<\/strong> wed in 2010, but reportedly were divorced following his conviction. Despite the divorce, Spohr supported Serafini throughout the trial, even submitting a statement of support for the baseball player, asking the judge for leniency in his sentencing.<\/p>\nSerafini was allegedly having an affair<\/a> with Samantha Scott<\/strong>, a family friend, and was also arrested and charged for the crimes. Spohr later testified that she and Serafini had an open relationship.<\/p>\n
He never pitched in the big leagues after his suspension, finishing his career back in the Mexican League.<\/p>\n After he finished his baseball career, Serafini shifted gears and opened a pitching academy called \u201cThrow Like a Pro Baseball Academy.\u201d He also opened a bar, \u201cBullpen Bar.\u201d Both businesses were in Sparks, Nevada.<\/p>\n \u201cBullpen Bar\u201d was featured on the show Bar Rescue, which revealed that Serafini\u2019s staff \u201ctreated the bar like it was their personal liquor cabinet,\u201d which put the former pitcher $300,000 in debt.<\/p>\n Serafini and Erin Spohr<\/strong> wed in 2010, but reportedly were divorced following his conviction. Despite the divorce, Spohr supported Serafini throughout the trial, even submitting a statement of support for the baseball player, asking the judge for leniency in his sentencing.<\/p>\n Serafini was allegedly having an affair<\/a> with Samantha Scott<\/strong>, a family friend, and was also arrested and charged for the crimes. Spohr later testified that she and Serafini had an open relationship.<\/p>\n<\/div>Serafini Owned A Baseball Academy And A Bar<\/h2>\n
Serafini Was Married To Erin Spohr, Daughter To Gary And Wendy<\/h2>\n
![\"Jail](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Jail-Love-Letters-Revealed-Between-Ex-MLB-Murderer-Daniel-Serafini-and-His-Babysitter-Mistress-02.jpg?crop=0px%2C117px%2C2000px%2C1131px&resize=400%2C225&quality=86&strip=all\")
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