Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Austin Adams drew the ire of the New York Mets when he appeared to mock the club's signature 'OMG' celebration, which derives from a hit single by Mets infielder Jose Iglesias (A.K.A. Candelita) during a 9-4 win over New York at Citi Field on Tuesday night.
Adams, who entered the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with two runners on, no one out and the Mets mounting a rally of sorts, worked his way out of the jam with a foul-out and a pair of strikeouts to ultimately earn the win.
As he was walking off the mound, Adams appeared to mock the Mets' 'OMG' celebration, which they have performed after hitting home runs this year, adding in some choice words.
Austin Adams appeared to mimic the OMG Mets celebration after striking out Francisco Alvarez to get out of a jam in the 5th pic.twitter.com/zzH3pOezJN
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 14, 2024
The Mets, particularly relief pitcher Edwin Diaz, did not take kindly to Adams's antics.
"He crossed a line because that’s something we do when we hit a homer or something," Diaz told The New York Post. "He [can] do it always, that’s fine. But, he can’t get mad if we do something to him the next couple of days."
The Athletics, including Adams himself, seemed to deny there was any intent. Manager Mark Kotsay said that Adams's "emotion" is part of his game. Athletics starting pitcher Joe Boyle said "he knew he [Adams] didn't mean any bad by it."
Adams told Will Sammon of The Athletic that he hopes "no one is offended."
Adams, 33, was acquired by the Athletics in exchange for cash considerations in a trade with the Mets back in May. Could the veteran reliever be harboring some resentment for how his tenure in New York ended?
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, who said he had caught up with Adams before the game, doesn't think so.
Carlos Mendoza on Austin Adams' OMG celebration:
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 14, 2024
"We're familiar with him, he was with us in Spring Training"
On if everything ended on good terms after Adams was DFA'd: "Yeah, I said hi to him before the game and everything" pic.twitter.com/9c8SVlhdTH
At any rate, it seems like the Mets won't be forgetting Adams's antics anytime soon. The two clubs will face off again on Wednesday and Thursday.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Athletics' Austin Adams Draws Ire of Mets for Seemingly Mocking 'OMG' Celebration.
