Bob Costas apologized to Chicago Cubs reliever Pedro Strop after the veteran sportscaster's comments about his pitching in Friday's televised game between the Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals created a social media backlash.
Strop took the mound in the eighth inning for the Cubs with his team up 2-1,
according to the New York Daily News. Strop gave up a home run, hit a batter and walked another before he was quickly pulled from the game.
Strop pointed to the sky as he walked off the field, leading Costas to quip, "We can only ask, or wonder, that he is asking some departed relative for forgiveness for this atrocious performance."
Costas claims he hadn't seen the negative reaction on social media about his comment when he reached out to the Cubs asking for a meeting with Strop to apologize in person.
"The tone of it was not what I intended," Costas told the Daily News. "I intended it as a kind of sarcastic comment about this overall thing where everybody seems to be pointing toward the heavens for every accomplishment, large and small, or even for no accomplishment at all.
"I inadvertently appeared harsh toward Strop. That wasn't my intention," said Costas. "And so I owe him an apology. And I will apologize to him (on Sunday)."
Strop told the
Chicago Tribune that Costas did follow through and apologize to him and he had buried the hatchet.
"We were staying in the same hotel and I saw him in the lobby and he apologized to me," said Strop. "There are other people who are upset but we all make mistakes. I'm not going to judge him just because he made a mistake. I feel better now that he (has) at least apologized. We all do stuff that we need to apologize for."
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