- Arizona Diamondbacks broadcaster Bob Brenly made a sarcastic comment about Marcus Stroman's do-rag.
- Brenly elicited severe backlash on social media from those who thought his comment was racist.
- Stroman acknowledged the 'racial undertones' of Brenly's comment on Twitter.
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New York Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman wore a du-rag in Tuesday night's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Diamondbacks TV announcer Bob Brenly made a sarcastic joke about it during the game's broadcast.
"I'm pretty sure that's the same du-rag that Tom Seaver used to wear when he pitched for the Mets," Brenly said.
Seaver was a white pitcher who played for the Mets from 1967-77, and never wore a du-rag.
Brenly's comment ignited a wave of backlash across social media from those who claimed it was laced with incensitive racial undertones.
Those who criticized Brenly included several prominent MLB reporters, including Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post, Chris Williamson of SNY, and Molly Knight of The Athletic.
-Molly Knight (@molly_knight) June 2, 2021
Stroman retweeted several responses from those who spoke out on his behalf, and offered his appreciation to those who supported him publicly.
The pitcher then chimed in with his own tweet on the situation, taking the high road in the wake of racial mockery.
"Onward and upward...through all adversity and racist undertones. The climb continues through all!" Stroman wrote on Twitter.
-Marcus Stroman (@STR0) June 2, 2021
Stroman even used the incident as an opportunity to promote his own personal line of du-rags, which he is promoting through his apparel brand HDMH Apparel.
-Marcus Stroman (@STR0) June 2, 2021
Mets manager Luis Rojas expressed his dissapointment in Brenly after during the post-game press conference after the team's 6-5 loss to Arizona.
"There is no room for a comment like that," Rojas said. "Completely inappropriate. I was very disappointed when I heard it. If it was like a joke or something, I didn't get it, and I know a lot of people didn't get it.
"When you are on a platform in this game [like Brenly] and you have a chance to inform and educate throughout the game or after the game, you just have so many opportunities to keep the audience active and fill them with baseball knowledge and not the case there."
Brenly released a statement through the Diamondbacks apologizing for comments.
"During (Tuesday) night's game I made a poor attempt at humor that was insensitive and wrong," Brenly wrote. "I apologize to Marcus Stroman and have reached out directly to share those thoughts. I have had several conversations with the D-backs and we agree that seeking sensitivity training is an important step so I can continue to learn from my mistakes in order to be better in the future."
No official announcement has been made regarding discipline for Brenly, but his statement suggested he will undergo mandatory sensitivity training.