Underwear brand sends 365 pairs to A’s reliever Sergio Romo, offers to pay fine for pulling down pants
Sergio Romo planned to appeal the $5,000 fine Major League Baseball was to hand down for dropping his pants during the umpire’s foreign substance check. But when an underwear company called with an offer to pay his fine with a year’s worth of free merchandise for a promotion, Romo couldn’t turn it down.
“So, I dropped trou. Unexpected situation that kind of caught me off guard,” Romo said. “Saxx (the underwear company), they came at me with an idea, a pitch…They came at me, threw me some underwear and I shared with the team. I didn’t know some of the guys had already used it, which is cool, so it was quite the hit.”
Romo gifted his teammates a good portion of the 365 pairs of underwear he found boxed up at his locker at the Coliseum when the team returned to Oakland after their three-city road trip. In return, Romo posted pictures and a video of the gift on his social media accounts with over a combined 400,000 followers.
The A’s reliever broke MLB’s uniform rules after dropping his pants and throwing his glove and hat on the grass in front of the umpire during the league’s new protocols for monitoring pitchers’ foreign substance use. Romo had given up a home run to Eli White in the A’s 13-6 loss to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park last Tuesday.
The umpire, Dan Iassogn, chuckled and told Romo he “didn’t have to do all this” when Romo unbelted his trousers. Romo said he didn’t mean to show up Iassogn, but he was frustrated by the situation and wanted to laugh it off in the moment.
“I didn’t have it planned, I didn’t know it was going to happen,” Romo said. “Even the inspection itself, I understand they sent out the amendment or they were saying they were going to check it, but it caught me off guard. I had just given up a run, too. I’m not gonna hang a breaking ball with sticky stuff, at least I haven’t heard of anyone hanging a breaking ball with sticky stuff, and I just got done doing it. So It was just a childish moment on my end. I feel bad that I did show up Dan. I didn’t want him to feel that way.”
Romo has had his fair share of run-ins with the league. He was fined an undisclosed amount and suspended for one game with the Minnesota Twins last season for instigating a bench-clearing kerfuffle with then-Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor. After dropping his pants, Romo’s agent went to the league to get his fine lowered with plans to appeal. With Saxx paying his $5,000 fine, Romo won’t even bother with the appeal.
“Pretty much they’re getting what they want and I’m getting things I didn’t expect,” he said. “So I guess we’re OK with it on both sides.”