With his ERA in the fives and the Comerica Park crowd booing him in the ninth inning Wednesday night, Detroit Tigers closer Joe Nathan made a lewd gesture to the fans and later apologized for it after getting out of a jam.
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Nathan made a gesture by flicking his chin to the crowd after it serenaded him with boos after he put runners on first and second by issuing back-to-back walks to kick off the ninth frame
Nathan eventually closed the game out and got out of the non-save situation unscathed as the Tigers picked up a much-needed 8-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates to keep pace with the AL Central division-leading Kansas City Royals.
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After the gesture, a remorseful Nathan apologized for his actions.
"I think both sides were frustrated," Nathan said via MLB.com. "I was frustrated. Fans obviously were frustrated. I think for myself, I apologize for that. I have two kids and I need to be a better example for them."
He added: "I know both sides are frustrated, but the thing is, we're on the same page. The fans want to win, want us to win. We obviously want to win. I do apologize for that, but again, we're on the same page here. We're trying to accomplish the same thing. Unfortunately, this incident happened."
Nathan signed a two-year deal to close for the Tigers last fall and has struggled in the role, most recently blowing a save against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. He received a mixed reaction upon entering Wednesday and was eventually booed after issuing the two walks.
Nathan performed the gesture after he got out of the jam with a game-ending double play, but said he harbors no ill-will toward the Tigers faithful.
"Listen, there's no hard feelings," Nathan said. "There's no frustration towards them. I know when they're behind this team 100 percent and they want us to get to the same place. They want us to get to the postseason. I know they want us to go out there and be perfect every time. I wish it was that easy, too, but this game isn't easy sometimes. You're going to go out and have struggles."
Nathan, 39, is 4-3 in the 14th season of his career with a 5.11 ERA and has converted 24 saves while blowing six of them.
The Tigers enter Thursday trailing the Royals by a half-game in the NL Central and are tied with the Seattle Mariners for the second wild-card spot.
Detroit can use a level-headed closer as it looks to make the postseason come October
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