Indians closer Chris Perez is one of the more emotional players in baseball, and we saw yet another unique example of that on Monday before Cleveland’s game in Oakland. During warmups, Perez walked over to the stands and got into it with an A’s fan. Players are typically advised not to engage in this sort of behavior since it gives the fan exactly what he or she wants, but according to Perez he has heard it from the same guy for years and finally grew tired of it.
Here is the video of the exchange, which contains some very NSFW language:
“He’s been wearing me out for four (seasons),” Perez explained Monday according to MLB.com. “I had enough. I’m not even playing a game. I’m shagging (fly balls). I can understand if it’s during the game. That’s part of the game and stuff, and it wasn’t just a random guy that I pointed him out and went over.
“It was the same guy. Four (seasons), just on me, on me, about everything. I get that some of it’s playful and everything, but some of the stuff is not playful.”
The fan was obviously hoping this day would come, otherwise he would have given it up long ago. Indians manager Manny Acta said he understood Perez’s frustration but that his closer has to learn to “handle it better” if a similar situation arises in the future. Perez also admitted that he basically let the fan (whom he referred to as an isolated incident and not indicative of how other A’s fans act) win.
“Looking back, obviously it’s not the best thing that it would be on the Internet and stuff,” he said. “I had no idea (they were filming me). I wouldn’t have done it. Looking back, that’s obviously what he was trying to get and it happened. So, he got me. You have to live and learn.”
Perez has been known to rip his own fans and irritate opposing players, so the incident shouldn’t shock anyone. It’s merely another reminder that no matter what you do, a cell phone camera is always watching.
Photo credit: Eric P. Mull-US PRESSWIRE
