NY Mets pitcher Jorge López hurls glove at spectators following his ejection, later unleashes passionate speech post-game.
The 31-year-old Lopez hit a two-run homer for Shohei Ohtani in the eighth inning and then got tossed by third-base umpire Ramon Di Jesus for arguing about a check swing call that didn't go his way. While walking off the field, Lopez took off his jersey and chucked his mitt into the Citi Field crowd. The Mets eventually lost to the Dodgers 10-3.
After the game, Lopez faced the media and showed no remorse.
"I'm not sorry for what I did," he said. "Whatever happens, happens. If they want me here tomorrow, I'll be here. I'm healthy and I'm ready to go if they need me."
López also uttered a comment in English that seemed to imply that either the Mets were the worst team in the whole MLB or he was the worst teammate. However, reports surfaced later claiming that he meant to say he was the worst teammate on the worst team.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza deemed Lopez's actions "unacceptable" and said it would be dealt with internally. Francisco Lindor, the team's shortstop, expressed hope that Lopez's attitude would change in the future, while also acknowledging that he'd support him if not.
The Mets are thought to be planning on designating Lopez for assignment (DFA), which would get him removed from their 40-man roster and mean he could be either traded or put on waivers within a week.
CNN attempted to get a statement from the Mets but hasn't heard back.
With the loss, the Mets' season record drops to 22-33—they've lost the last three games. In addition, the team is sixteen games shy of first place, sparking a surge of frustration, including Lopez's outburst in front of fans at Citi Field.
Mets reliever Adam Ottavino summed up the team's frustrations, saying, "We're just not getting it done. We're not pitching shutouts when necessary, we're not getting the hits we need, and we're not producing at-bats, our defense is mediocre, we're really struggling right now."
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In the heated post-game press conference, Jorge Lopez stated, "I'm not apologizing for my actions, I'll be here if the team needs me," using the word "actions." Later, the Mets discussed their potential course of action, with manager Carlos Mendoza stating, "Lopez's actions were unacceptable and we'll be handling this internally."
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