MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred apologizes for 'piece of metal' trophy comment

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred apologized Tuesday for what he called a disrespectful reference to the World Series trophy as a "piece of metal."

Manfred, speaking in Scottsdale, Ariz., said he made a mistake with that comment when trying to deliver a rhetorical point in an interview two days earlier.

"I referred to the World Series trophy in a disrespectful way, and I want to apologize for it," Manfred said. "There's no excuse for it."

MLB players, already upset with Manfred's handling of the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal and some of his comments in trying to explain it, became further infuriated by his "piece of metal" comment during an interview with ESPN on Sunday.

Manfred pledged Tuesday to protect Oakland righthander Mike Fiers, the ex-Astros pitcher who became the whistleblower when he went public in November to The Athletic.

"Mike did the industry a service," Manfred said.

The Astros play their first road game of the regular season March 30 at the A's.

"That's somebody that has never played our game. You play for a reason, you play for that piece of metal. I'm very proud of the three that I have," Lester said. "If that's the way he feels, then he needs to take his name off the trophy."

In Tampa, Fla., New York Yankees star Aaron Judge said he believes the Astros should be stripped of their 2017 World Series championship.

"I just don't think it holds any value. You cheated and you didn't earn it," Judge said. "It wasn't earned the way of playing the game right and fighting to the end and knowing that we're competing, we're competitors."

Atlanta outfielder Nick Markakis said he was angered. "I feel every single guy over there [Houston] needs a beating. It's wrong."

Citing what the San Francisco Giants said were unacceptable social media comments that "run counter to the values of our organization," the team will not invite Aubrey Huff to a reunion of its 2010 World Series champions this summer. It's a decision Huff said is based in part on his "political support of Donald Trump."

In November, Huff drew attention for a tweet that showed an image of a shooting target riddled with bullet holes. "Getting my boys trained up on how to use a gun in the unlikely event BernieSanders beats realDonaldTrump in 2020," he wrote.

Last month, he tweeted a drawing that he later said was a joke about Iranian women. He has also been critical of the team's decision to hire Alyssa Nakken, a former softball player at Sacramento State, as the first full-time female coach in MLB history. "I got in trouble for wearing a thong in my own clubhouse when female reporters were present," he tweeted. "Can't imagine how it will play out with a full-time female coach running around."