Apr 26, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jorge Lopez (52) delivers a pitch during the seventh inning in front of St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Brendan Donovan (33) at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: St. Louis Cardinals at New York Mets
(Queens, NY) – It’s gone from bad to worse in Queens. As the team was ending up the series that saw New York swept by the visiting LA Dodgers, Jorge Lopez was yanked from the game and headed for the dugout.
After jawing with the third base umpire moments earlier, he tossed his glove up into the stands in frustration.
Lopez reportedly spoke with team brass afterwards and was designated for assignment, effectively ending his tenure with the team. But that wasn’t the end of it – in comments made to reporters Lopez said he was either the worst “teammate” in MLB or that he was on the worst “team” in MLB.
Reporters said they tried to get clarification on that, to which Lopez apparently said: “both.” He supposedly indicated he was the worst teammate on what was the worst team.
Still, some on social media insisted that since English is not the native tongue of Lopez, he was being misquoted. Many who speak Spanish said it was clear Lopez was saying “teammate.” Then, one day later on social media, Lopez argued he was in fact saying teammate, thanking the media for making things worse.
Never a dull moment in Flushing, Queens, folks!
Also, Boomer Esiason of WFAN reported that Lopez has been dealing with some personal issues at home, which could have impacted his outburst. Apparently, Lopez has a child who’s dealing with health issues – and that child is awaiting a transplant.
