Austin Adams decided to have a little fun on Tuesday night at the expense of the Mets, where he pitched in spring training before being sold to the Athletics before the start of the season.
Adams was called into relief with a runner on second and no outs after the Mets had already cut a six-run deficit in half. He struck out Jeff McNeil, got Jose Iglesias to foul out and Francisco Alvarez to get out of the jam.
Adams then yelled into the air and imitated the Mets’ “OMG” celebration, but was loudly booed by the Citi Field crowd.
“Honestly, I looked up and I was so surprised I got out of that. I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ and then it finally dawned on me. I was like, ‘Oh my God,'” he said after the Athletics’ 9-4 win. “So I did it, because that song is great and Iglesias is a good guy. So I hope I’m not offending anybody. I’m just having fun.”
Adams said the criticism was unplanned and described himself as a fairly “spontaneous” and “emotional” pitcher.
Either way, Edwin Diaz didn’t take it too kindly.
The Mets closer said he’s seen Adams do similar celebrations against other teams before and it doesn’t bother him, but the personal attack on “OMG” struck a chord.
“He crossed the line, that’s what you do when you hit a home run or something,” Diaz told The Post.
“he [can] “If that’s what he does all the time, that’s fine, but he can’t be mad if we do something to him over the next few days.”
Adams, who appeared to yell several obscenities after the gesture, signed with the Mets in November 2023 but left before the regular season.
It was the top of the ninth inning and the Mets were losing to the Athletics. Jason Zenz, New York Post
“DFA’d [designated for assignment] “It was three days before the game, and I’m a relief pitcher, so that’s what I get to do,” Adams said. “I came out of a big jam and helped the team out.”
“I pitch emotionally. Maybe I need to work harder to not do that. But at the end of the day, it’s a big moment in the game. I got a big out and helped my team win. When you get DFA’d, they tell you you’re not good enough to play for the team anymore. That sucks. So I was a little bit fired up today.”
— Additional reporting by Mark Sanchez
