Oct. 17 (UPI) — Veteran pitcher Trevor May used his retirement announcement to take several verbal swipes at John Fisher, calling the Oakland Athletics owner greedy on a Twitch broadcast.
May, 34, announced his retirement Monday night. The nine-year veteran went 4-4 with a 3.28 ERA and a career-high 21 saves in 49 appearances this season for the Athletics.
“To the A’s organization and every single person part of it, I love all of you,” May said in the video. “Every single one of you except for one guy. And we all know who that guy is.”
Fisher plans to move the Athletics to Las Vegas after the team’s lease in Oakland expires in 2024 — a decision met with criticism from fans, Oakland city officials, current and former players, and others.
The Athletics did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday, but Fisher told NBC Sports Bay Area in August that he was hurt to see Athletics fans wearing “sell” T-shirts at games and that he feels bad about the situation.
“It shows that the fans are passionate about wanting to keep the team and that they’re upset with me for taking away that dream. And in that sense, I take responsibility and I feel bad about it,” Fisher said.
May explained in his retirement announcement that he dreaded going to spring training and spending time away from his family before expanding on his comments about Fisher.
“Sell the team, dude,” May said. “Sell it, man. Let someone who actually takes pride in the things they own own something. There are actually people who give a [expletive] about the game. Let them do it.”
May also criticized Fisher for avoiding interviews amid the Athletics’ relocation process.
“If you’re gonna just be a greedy [expletive], own it,” May said. “There’s nothing weaker than being afraid of cameras. That’s one thing I really struggled with this year — not just eviscerating that guy.”
“Do what you’re gonna do, bro. You’re a billionaire. They exist. You guys have all this power. You shouldn’t have any because you haven’t earned any of it. But it is what it is. The reality is you got handed everything you have. Now you’re too soft to take any responsibility for anything you’re doing.”
May logged a 36-28 record, 4.24 ERA, and 33 saves in 358 appearances over his nine seasons. He entered the league as a fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2014 for the Minnesota Twins. May also played for the New York Mets.
He said he would “continue throwing this ball,” but it wouldn’t be for an MLB team. He said he also plans to become a radio commentator, first covering the MLB playoffs on SiriusXM.
