Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson has issued a public apology for directing disparaging, expletive-filled remarks at umpire Bill Miller during Monday night's game. Ferguson described his actions as "very unprofessional" and "uncharacteristic."
Ferguson's outburst occurred after Miller inadvertently got in the way of Cincinnati infielder Edwin Arroyo, preventing him from making a play. The pitcher's comments, which appeared to insult the umpire's weight, were captured on the broadcast and subsequently went viral.
"Don’t feel great about it for sure," Ferguson told reporters Tuesday. "Definitely pretty uncharacteristic for myself. As long as I have been in this game I don’t know if you will find a clip of me going at an umpire like that. Definitely going to have to wear that one on the chest."
Ferguson indicated he intends to speak with Miller directly to make amends. "Going to seek Bill out, going to try to at some point," Ferguson said. "Definitely make it right with him cause very unprofessional on my part. Nothing you can do with it now, but just have to move on. I know Bill’s doing his best to not be in his way in that situation, so I’ve got to be better on my part too."
The incident took place during a frustrating outing for Ferguson. Two batters prior to the confrontation, he gave up a grand slam to Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh that extended Seattle's lead. Ferguson was charged with two earned runs in two-thirds of an inning. The Mariners went on to defeat the Reds 8-0.
"It’s just a very unprofessional thing on my part," Ferguson reiterated. "I know these things happen within the game. But I don’t like that I was kind of the centerpiece of this."