Mets Pitcher Jorge Lopez Claims Media Misquoted Him

New York Mets pitcher Jorge Lopez blamed the media for misquoting him after a glove-throwing meltdown in yesterday's game that led to his ultimate release from the team.

The drama played out last night after Lopez was ejected for arguing with the home plate umpire over a checked swing call. After being thrown out, Lopez untucked his jersey and threw his glove into the stands as he walked back to the Mets dugout.

When speaking with reporters after the game, Lopez was quoted as saying that the Mets were "the worst team in probably the whole f'n MLB." 

Mets fans went absolutely wild on social media about the comments, which obviously didn't sit well with them or the Mets' front office.

Now Lopez is claiming the quotes weren't accurate. In a new Instagram post, Lopez claims that he said that he was the worst teammate. 

Jorge Lopez Was DFA'D After Last Night's Meltdown

Unfortunately for the now former Mets pitcher, social media ran with his original comments and absolutely destroyed him and called for him to be removed from the team. The Mets went ahead and designated him for assignment Thursday afternoon.

"Who ever hear me I said teammate and what I said in the situation I been the worst teammate," Lopez wrote, "thanks media for make it worse," Lopez - who also missed some of last season to deal with mental health struggles, wrote. 

Now, Lopez's first language isn't English, which complicates matters.  

At the time when Jorge's comments started going viral last night, I went on Twitter and downloaded the audio and could clearly hear that Lopez did in fact appear to say "teammate" rather than team - which, of course, are two very different things. If I was able to do that, you'd think one of the other reporters or media outlets would - alas, they did not. 

After his initial misunderstood words, Lopez was asked by another reporter if he did in fact call out the Mets organization. He says he did - but there is clearly something lost in translation in the clip, as he appears uneasy and even his demeanor and reactions show that he doesn't fully understand what's being asked.

However, no media members or those on social media took that into account before lambasting Jorge, who is also dealing with family issues as his young son is in need of a heart transplant. Why? Because the media CRAVES drama and chaos - and the social media mob mentality thrives on it.

THE LARGER ISSUE

Should Jorge Lopez have been dismissed from the Mets for his actions? Most likely, yes. But did his misquoted words afterward in the team clubhouse  fast track that? I believe they very well might have - or at the very least, they didn't help as Lopez thought he was taking responsibility but instead was quoted as trashing the organization.

But beyond being released and the clear worry that if Lopez is dealing with mental struggles, that this definitely does not help him overcome those, is that this was a journalistic mess.

Adding another wrinkle to the story, Boomer Esiason, during his local radio show, said Lopez is going through issues at home. Esiason said he was informed that Lopez's son is awaiting a transplant, and the former NFL quarterback then went on to apologize for how he spoke about the situation earlier in his show. 

We have transformed into a breaking news society where everything is second-by-second and engagement, clicks and views are all that matters as facts get pushed to the side.

In a world where AI and deepfakes and misquotes and false allegations are only becoming more prominent, this isn't good, and the fact that it involved the media shows just how quickly a story can get out of hand. 

Remember - the average Internet user will most likely only read and hear the first report and not the clarification or correction or truth of a story. The result can ruin a person's life, career or at least make things a heck of a lot more difficult.

It appears that's what Jorge Lopez is dealing with right now and, according to him - it's the media's fault.

I can tell you this - for all the baseball fans that complain that a player doesn't speak English when speaking with reporters, you can be sure that after last night's reporter debacle that more will decline speaking in their non-native language. They saw firsthand what happens when a misquote makes the rounds on social media and the disastrous consequences that it may indeed have.

It's time to do better everyone.