PHOENIX (AP) — Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones is moving on a day after tweeting a fan in San Francisco threw a banana onto the field near him during a game.
“It’s unfortunate that things happen like that, but it ain’t going stop me, myself and the Orioles,” he told reporters before Monday night’s game against Arizona. “We have games to win. It’s mid-August. I’ve got a bigger concern in my head than someone’s ignorance or act of whatever. You know what I mean?”
Jones, who is black, homered in the top of the ninth and had four RBIs in the Orioles’ 10-2 win over the Giants on Sunday. He didn’t say anything about the incident after the game, but posted a tweet with an expletive that a fan had thrown a banana onto the field during the ninth inning.
A Giants fan told the San Jose Mercury News on Monday that he threw the banana, but said it was out of anger at the Giants and not racially motivated. The Giants told the newspaper they were not able to verify the fan’s claim.
The Giants issued an apology to Jones and the Orioles.
“We were extremely disappointed to learn about the incident involving Adam Jones at AT&T Park yesterday,” the statement said. “The Giants have a zero tolerance policy against this type of behavior, which results in immediate ejection from the ballpark.”
“While we have been investigating the matter since we learned of the situation, unfortunately we have been unable to identify the person responsible. We would like to extend our sincerest apologies to Adam and the entire Orioles organization for this unfortunate incident. The inappropriate actions of this individual in no way reflect the values of our organization and our fans,” it said.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.