Orioles reliever Miguel Castro robbed at gunpoint: 'They wanted to kill me'

Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Miguel Castro, a 25-year-old relief pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, announced on social media that he was robbed at gunpoint in his native Dominican Republic.

In an Instagram post written in Spanish on Tuesday, Castro said he was attacked and robbed by two people over his chain. The reliever, who was on his way to train, wrote that he's "alive by the mercy of God."

"Thank God that their gun got jammed," a translation of the post read. "I'm alive by the mercy of God.

"This has to stop. They took my chain and they wanted to kill me. It's unbelievable, I was at a training field trying to help those who want to make it to the big leagues and these two guys jumped on me to take my chain with also the intention of putting a bullet in me. This has to stop."

In a statement released Tuesday night, Orioles general manager Mike Elias said the organization has been in contact with Castro about the incident in La Romana and are "very thankful that he is safe."

The agency that represents Castro also issued a statement following the incident, saying: "Miguel is safe. He is shaken. He feels extremely blessed and fortunate to still be alive and thanks everyone for their support. He will continue to use his platform to be a role model."

Castro made his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in April 2015. After a short stint with the Colorado Rockies, the right-hander has spent the last three seasons with the Orioles.

Castro posted a 1-3 record and 4.66 ERA in 65 appearances with Baltimore last season.