Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ross Stripling apologized on Wednesday for throwing a fit over teammate Joe Panik’s error in a 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees.
Stripling pitched 6.2 innings and took the loss in the defeat. Stripling had two outs in the top of the sixth when he got Giancarlo Stanton to hit a slow roller to third base. Panik tried to barehand the ball but botched the throw to first, causing Stripling to lose his composure. Stripling began to yell and complain.
Stripling got the final out of the inning but surrendered a two-run homer to Gary Sanchez the following inning.
After the game, the Blue Jays pitcher took ownership of his poor behavior. He apologized to Panik, his teammates and publicly to everyone.
Stripling’s reaction was childish. He got caught up in a bad moment, but his ownership and apology for the unprofessional behavior is refreshing and commendable. This is how to act after you’ve messed up.
Here were Stripling’s full comments after the game:
More must-reads: