Jorge López will be cut by the struggling New York Mets after the reliever threw his glove into the stands following his ejection Wednesday at Citi Field.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called the outburst “not acceptable” and said it would be handled internally. López expressed no regret for his display.
“I do not regret it. I think I probably looked like the worst teammate in all of MLB,” he said in expletives during a bizarre and confusing postgame interview in the Mets clubhouse.
López lied when he told reporters that he had not yet spoken to Mendoza or president of baseball operations David Stearns about the outburst, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release that detail.
Just a hilarious sequence of events
Jorge Lopez allows an absolute tank to Shohei Ohtani
Then gets thrown by the THIRD BASE UMPIRE with an argument for a check swing that was clearly the right call
And then he throws his GLOVE into the standspic.twitter.com/BkB8C0U7AS
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) May 29, 2024
López gave up a two-run homer to Shohei Ohtani late in New York’s 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Moments later, the right-hander was ejected for yelling at third base umpire Ramon De Jesus over an appeal ruling on Freddie Freeman’s checked swing.
“It’s just emotions. The game just takes you there,” López said.
López pointed at De Jesus and shouted some more, then dropped the ball and walked off the mound with his jersey loose. As he approached the Mets dugout, he threw his glove high over the protective mesh and it landed a few rows deep in the stands, where he was held by a fan.
“It definitely doesn’t look good,” said Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who hosted a players-only meeting in the clubhouse after New York’s 15th loss in 19 games.
“If our manager says it’s unacceptable, it’s unacceptable. I hope López feels very different tomorrow.’
After his cap also fell off his head, López left it in the mud in front of the dugout and walked to the bench.
“I am the way I am,” he said. “I’m not afraid to be myself.”
However, López said he thought his teammates were embarrassed.
‘Jorge is a good guy on the inside. Deep down, he obviously knows he shouldn’t have done that,” said veteran reliever Adam Ottavino. “Everyone experiences things.”
After the game, the Mets began the process of designating López for assignment. They have seven days to trade or release him, or send him straight to the minors if no other team claims him off waivers.
In his first season with the Mets, the 31-year-old López is 1-2 with a 3.76 ERA and two saves in 28 appearances – one of the most in the Majors. He signed a one-year, $2 million contract with New York in December.
López pitched for three playoff teams last season, going 6-2 with a 5.95 ERA and three saves in 61 relief appearances for Minnesota, Miami and Baltimore.
He moved exclusively to the bullpen in 2022 and was a dominant closer for the Orioles through four breakout months, earning him an All-Star selection. Baltimore traded him to the Twins in early August of that year and he finished 4-7 with a 2.54 ERA and 23 saves in 67 games.