Bob Costas Apologizes To Cubs’ Pedro Strop

Bob Costas apologized for his “harsh” comments about Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop.

During Fridays Cubs versus Cards matchup, Strop took over for Jake Arrieta, who pitched a seven inning gem. And the reliever, who came in during the eighth, proceeded to blow the lead, giving up the game-tying home run and a walk before being taken out.

And when Strop was removed by Cubs manager Joe Madden, the reliever pointed to the sky. This resulted in Costas stating, “We can only ask, or wonder, that he is asking some departed relative for forgiveness for this atrocious performance.”

Bob Costas Apologizes

The comment was instantly criticized on the Internet for being insensitive. Since then, Costas has backtracked, apologizing directly to Pedro Strop for the “harsh” nature of his words.

“The tone of it was not what I intended. I intended it as a kind of sarcastic comment about this overall thing where everybody seems to be pointing toward the heavens for every accomplishment, large and small, or even for no accomplishment at all,” Costas told the New York Daily News over the weekend. “I inadvertently appeared harsh toward Strop. That wasn’t my intention. And so I owe him an apology. And I will apologize to him [on Sunday].”

And it appears Strop has forgiven the announcer and was not as outraged as the Internet. “He just apologized to me. And there are more people upset because of what he said, but we’ve all made mistakes,” Strop told the Chicago Tribune. “I’m not going to judge him just because he made a mistake.”

With his apology, Costas also commented on the Internet and its “faux outrage:” “Everything is shocking, over the top. ‘He savaged Pedro Strop’ — I mean, come on, come on. Let’s get a handle on this.”