Caleb Ferguson Apologizes for Referee Comments

Reds relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson publicly apologized to referee Bill Miller after making inappropriate comments during a recent game.

“I really don’t feel good about it,” Ferguson expressed to reporters on Tuesday. “It’s not typical behavior for me. In my time in this sport, I’ve never directed comments like that towards a referee. I’ll have to own up to it.”

The coach mentioned a desire to reach out to Miller directly to rectify the situation. “We’re going to try to find Bill and have a conversation,” he added. “I need to approach him respectfully. It was very unprofessional on my part. Right now, I can’t change what happened, but I need to look ahead. Bill tries to do his job as best as he can, so I need to improve on my end too.”

Ferguson’s remarks about Miller, which included derogatory comments regarding the referee’s weight, were caught on mic and quickly spread online. He was in the midst of a frustrating match when he spoke out, having just allowed a grand slam to Seattle’s catcher, Cal Lowry, contributing to a 7-0 lead for the Mariners. Overall, Ferguson allowed two earned runs over 1 2/3 innings.

The final score was an 8-0 shutout in favor of the Mariners.

“This is quite unprofessional of me,” Ferguson continued. “I understand that these moments can happen during a game, but I don’t like being at the center of this incident.”