A day later, Austin Adams seemed surprised at the line of questioning.
The A’s reliever, who first buzz-sawed through Mets bats and then mocked their “OMG” celebration before cursing up a storm coming off the mound Tuesday, said he is not on social media and didn’t know he caused much of a commotion with his appearance, saying his day unknowingly in the headlines had been “fine.”
By Wednesday, a formerly anonymous reliever who was briefly a Met in spring training had turned into an enemy of fans at Citi Field and an unpopular figure in the home clubhouse — with Francisco Lindor using the dance move while staring into the Oakland bullpen after a third-inning homer.
Edwin Diaz, for one, said Adams “crossed a line” in imitating the dance that has spread through the Mets that accompanies Jose Iglesias’ song and added that Adams “can’t get mad if we do something to him the next couple of days.”
Does that bother Adams?
“Nope,” said the A’s righty, who only had one regret from his eventful Tuesday. “I wish I didn’t curse as much in the clubhouse or in the locker room, that’s pretty much it. I got to be a better representation to my kids.
“But at the end of the day, baseball is supposed to be — you’re supposed to have fun playing it, right? It’s entertainment. You’re supposed to have fun.”
Adams had plenty of fun in inheriting a two-on, none-out jam in the fifth inning and proceeded to strike out Jeff McNeil, induce a foul out from Iglesias and watch Francisco Alvarez swing through strike three.
Against a team that designated him for assignment and then flipped him to Oakland in March, the 33-year-old got a dose of revenge five months later, acknowledging the opponent made the moment sweeter.
He lifted his arms up and down, as the Mets do while “OMG” plays following home runs, and roared his way to the dugout.
“You guys are f–king s–t,” Adams could be seen shouting coming off the mound. “You f–king DFA me? Shut the f–k up.”
In an era when more overt celebrations, typically from hitters, are often celebrated rather than policed, Mets players did not appreciate the show.
Before Wednesday’s second game of the series, Adams pointed out that he isn’t supposed to make the other team happy.
“They’re the opponent,” said Adams, who contended that the celebration was organic and not planned. “It would be weird if everyone was happy with [me] regardless if I came off the field doing the gesture.
“I was surprised I got out [of the jam]. Got out of the inning, how quickly that turned, I just said, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and then I did it.”
Adams is having a solid season after the Mets, with whom he signed a minor league pact this offseason, gave up on him in spring training.
It is not just Queens he has tormented, pumping his fist after strikeouts and flinging his gum en route toward his dugout.
Minnesota’s Byron Buxton didn’t appear to appreciate his antics in a June game.
According to the pitcher, it is not a conscious choice to either rile up an opponent or establish himself as a villain.
He said he is just being himself, which can be entertaining and can be infuriating, depending upon the viewpoint.
“I just go out there and pitch on emotion and that’s really it,” said the journeyman, who has pitched in the majors with five clubs. “I’m so amped up when I go into games.”
He realizes that any moment the Mets can show him up, they will.
He said he has never been upset with a bat-flip.
And he knows that the visiting bullpen will be deluged with chirping from the crowd for the rest of the series.
“Regardless if I did what I did or if I just ran off the field, someone’s going to tell me I suck,” Adams said. “It is what it is. That’s just what we play and that’s the life I live in baseball. I might as well have fun doing it.”
