Mr. Met Gives Fan The Finger, Employee Out As Team Mascot
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NEW YORK (CBSMiami/AP) — The struggles of the New York Mets have been hard to avoid this season.
Coming off a World Series appearance in 2015 and another trip to the postseason last fall, hopes were high for a third straight strong season in Queens.
So far, that is not happening and even the team's mascot Mr. Met is frustrated with the New York's disappointing start.
The Mets' funny-looking mascot flashed his "middle" finger at a fan during Wednesday night's 7-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, and the team says the employee who did it won't work in the costume again.
A person tweeted video of the incident, which soon went viral online, and the club quickly issued a statement.
"We apologize for the inappropriate action of this employee," the Mets said in an email attributed to the organization. "We do not condone this type of behavior. We are dealing with this matter internally."
A Mets official told The Associated Press more than one person wears the Mr. Met costume during each season, and the person who donned it Wednesday night will not do so again. The Mets official spoke on condition of anonymity because the statement from the organization was the team's only authorized comment.
Mr. Met, known for an oversized head with baseball seams, is among the sport's most recognized mascots. Technically, he has only four digits on each hand — three fingers and a thumb.
Expected to contend for a playoff spot, the Mets are 23-28, hurt by injuries to ace starter Noah Syndergaard, closer Jeurys Familia and slugger Yoenis Cespedes.
After a win over Miami on May 5, the Mets tweeted a photograph of T.J. Rivera wearing the star-of-the-game crown in their clubhouse, and the background included the locker of backup catcher Kevin Plawecki and a clearly visible sex toy.
Plawecki attributed the incident to clubhouse pranksters.
In another flap, Mets pitcher Matt Harvey didn't show up for the next day's game after a late night on the town, causing the team to suspend him for three days.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)