A former Northern Ontario man who threw a beer can onto the field during a dramatic Blue Jays playoff game last fall has been given a conditional discharge.

Ken Pagan pleaded guilty to mischief in connection with the incident last month.

The conditions of Pagan's discharge include a period of community service and an order to stay away from Major League Baseball games for a year.

Pagan, who worked as a sports reporter for the North Bay Nugget, has admitted tossing a can of beer on the field last October as a Baltimore Orioles player was about to catch a fly ball during the seventh inning of the pivotal wild card game in Toronto.

Pagan offered an apology in court before a judge ordered the conditional discharge, saying he is a lifelong baseball fan and threw the can when his emotions got the best of him in an exciting moment.

Pagan's lawyer had asked for his client to be given an absolute discharge, arguing he has suffered from intense media scrutiny since the can toss, become the butt of jokes and has been subjected to online harassment.