Austin Adams is still pretty pissed that the Mets designated him as a designated player.
The Athletics relief pitcher hurled an expletive at his former team after mocking Jose Iglesias and team’s “OMG” celebration after surviving a tight spot in the bottom of the fifth inning on Tuesday.
The Mets signed Adams in the offseason, designated him for a designated player in February and dealt him to Oakland in March.
Warning: explicit language
According to baseball lip-reading expert JohnBoy, Adams apparently said, “Get out, you son of a bitch,” after striking out Francisco Alvarez to escape a pressure situation during Oakland’s 9-4 win.
“You’re such a shitty bitch. You want me to DFA? Shut up.”
Adams has never played a game for the Mets, but he clearly harbors resentment for how the team treated him after signing a one-year, non-guaranteed contract last November.
The Mets designated Jake Diekman for designated release after signing him just before the start of spring training. He remained in camp and posted a 5.68 ERA in seven games.
The Athletics then acquired him in a trade on March 24 for cash considerations.
On Tuesday, in his first game against the Mets, he struck out Alvarez to win 7-4, but he threw the ball to second base and got out of a no-out jam, inflicting a painful blow on his former team.
After Alvarez struck out, Adams looked up to the sky, extended his arms out to the side, brought them to his mouth and then extended them out again, imitating Iglesias’ hit song and the Mets’ home run celebration dance.
Adams then turned toward the dugout and walked off the field yelling expletives.
He maintained that there was no malice behind the “OMG” celebration and it was not planned.
“Honestly, I looked up and freaked out and I was able to slip out. I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ and then I finally got it and I was like, ‘Oh my God,'” Adams said. “So I did it, because that song is great and Iglesias is a great guy, so I hope I’m not offending anyone. I’m just having fun.”
Adams said the Mets letting him go was what motivated him.
He has been a reliable presence for the Athletics this season, posting a 3.92 ERA in 56 games.
“I got designated for assignment three days before the game started. I’m a relief pitcher, so that’s just what I do,” Adams said. “I got myself 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.”
Mets closer Edwin Diaz told The Washington Post he didn’t like Adams’ actions.
“He crossed the line, that’s what you do when you hit a home run or something,” Diaz said.
“He does that all the time and that’s fine, but he can’t be mad if we do something to him in the next few days.”
The Mets and Athletics meet on Wednesday in the second of a three-game series.
