Mr. Met Gives Fans The Middle Finger, Team Apologizes

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 25: Mr. Met entertains the crowd between innings of a game between the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres at Citi Field on May 25, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

After Jacob deGrom was shelled by the Brewers in a disappointing 7-1 Met’s loss on Wednesday, Mr. Met, New York’s beloved mascot, was understandably frustrated. But how he showed that frustration was quite unusual for a perpetually smiling, silent, baseball-headed father and husband.

Exiting the field after the loss, Mr. Met – more specifically, the employee inside of Mr. Met – gave several fans the middle finger. The fans appeared to be jeering the big-headed figure before he unloaded his silent curse.

After video of the incident quickly went viral online, the Mets issued a public apology.

“We apologize for the inappropriate action of this employee. We do not condone this type of behavior,” the Mets’ statement read. “We are dealing with this matter internally.

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According to the Associated Press, multiple employees play Mr. Met through out the season and the employee who played him on Wednesday will likely be fired.

It isn’t the first time Mr. Met has been involved in a middle finger scandal.

Earlier in the season, Mets ace Noah Syndergaard suffered a blister on his middle finger. Syndergaard, who has long had a comical feud with his team’s mascot, showed his enemy where the injury was, inevitably flipping him off.

The Mr. Met incident seems all the more ridiculous against the tapestry of the several other Mets PR episodes that have occurred so far during the young 2017 season. After the team suspended pitcher Matt Harvey for missing a game, it was discovered that they had sent security personnel to the pitcher’s apartment to confirm his excuse. Several days before that incident, a photograph tweeted by the team’s official Twitter account included a sex toy inconspicuously placed in the corner.

The Mets, who have failed to meet the high exceptions set of them at the beginning of the season, finish their four game series against the Brewers today at 1:10 p.m. EST. Through Wednesday, their 23-28 record is good enough for second place in the National League East.