Ex-MLB All-Star and Mets rival Rafael Furcal charged in ‘missile’ toss

Rafael Furcal was known during his 14-year Major League Baseball career for having one of the strongest arms in the game — a shortstop who could launch a ball across the diamond with ease.

This week, the former All-Star is accused of throwing a different kind of missile.

Furcal, a longtime New York Mets rival during his early years with the Atlanta Braves, is facing two felony charges in Florida, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle on Monday, according to arrest records in Broward County reviewed by NBC 6 South Florida.

The alleged incident occurred in Sunrise, about 20 miles west of Fort Lauderdale. Furcal has since bonded out of jail.

Authorities have not detailed exactly what was thrown, but under Florida law, a “deadly missile” can refer to any object thrown at or into a vehicle with potential to cause serious harm, NBC 6 reported.

The Dominican Republic native owns a multimillion-dollar home in the gated Windmill Reserve community in Weston, Florida.

Long Island baseball fans probably remember Furcal best as a consistent Mets nemesis during his early years with the Braves in the 2000s, when Atlanta dominated the National League East. He debuted with the Braves in 2000 — winning National League Rookie of the Year — and played with the club through 2005.

Furcal went on to win a World Series ring with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. He played for the Dodgers against the Mets in the 2006 MLB playoffs.

In his career against the Mets, Furcal posted a .250 batting average, tallying 6 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases — many of those numbers built during heated divisional matchups.

_{Top photo: New York Mets’ David Wright, left, is chased by Los Angeles Dodgers’ Rafael Furcal before being tagged out after an RBI-single during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, May 19, 2009, in Los Angeles (AP Photo/Jeff Lewis).}