Blue Jays fan praises Adam Jones for inspiring social change

By Josh Land

Orioles

October 07, 2016, 9:46am

Comments

Beyond the sting of the Orioles' loss at Rogers Centre, O's fans were angered at an on-field incident that put left fielder Hyun Soo Kim in danger while fielding a fly ball.

A fan in attendance threw a full beer at the outfielder, which led to All-Star center fielder Adam Jones exchanging choice words in defense of his teammate.

"First and foremost that's about as pathetic as it gets between the lines," Jones told reporters in Toronto. "You don't do that. I don't care how passionate you are. Yell, cuss, scream, we suck. ... But to throw something at a player? That's as pathetic as it gets. I hope they find the guy and I hope they press charges because he's not looking, you could hit him in the back of the head. You never know what could happen. That's a full beer that's being thrown. That's just not part of the sport."

Following the game, Blue Jays fans poured out heartfelt apologies on social media and the team issued an apology for the incident on the field.

Sorry @Orioles, from the rest of #Canada
-- Matthew Hansen (@mattiojelly) October 5, 2016

To @Orioles & their fans, I'm sorry for the bigotry & attacks on your team.
To @BlueJays fans, why not donate here? https://t.co/ekSdkAkq2R
-- Ennis Esmer (@ennisesmer) October 5, 2016

@masnOrioles as a Jays fan I want to say I'm ashamed of that "fan", and totally agree with Jones. Glad we won but it tarnished the win.
-- Chris Q (@TheycallmemrQ) October 5, 2016

@masnOrioles @YouTube to Adam, from this jays fan, we apologize. Great response, you are a class act and a great player. Love to hate you.
-- JBM (@mbgpa6) October 5, 2016

Statement from the Toronto Blue Jays. pic.twitter.com/Ux7xdI89H6
-- Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 5, 2016

Perhaps one of the most poignant apologies came from a Blue Jays fan in a Facebook post, which was shared by Orioles executive vice president John Angelos. Beyond offering an apology, Blue Jays fan Craig Fortier praised Jones for speaking up about the racial and social injustices in the country. Fortier praised Jones for using his platform to spark change in communities.

No matter the team you support, @BlueJays fan Paul Fortier pens an All-World letter to @Orioles All-Star @SimplyAJ10 https://t.co/Q7G3KV35eE
-- John P Angelos (@JohnPAngelos) October 7, 2016

Check out the entire open letter below.