Justin, Ben Verlander explain Astros ace waving middle finger to Phillies fans
The City of Brotherly Love can be anything but, especially with the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series against the widely unpopular Houston Astros.
Astros ace Justin Verlander gave Phillies fans some acknowledgement on Monday when he gave them the middle finger as the team bus arrived at Citizens Bank Park before Game 3 was washed out.
But Verlander insisted the gesture was all in fun.
"Whole interaction was in jest as all the fans around you were just saying hello in their native tongue," Verlander wrote on social media. "So I responded in kind. all in good fun. I enjoyed the banter. Also, nobody broke the window. Was just like that."
Verlander's brother, Ben, who is a podcaster and Fox Sports analyst, went into further detail on the incident.
"Literally, while we were sitting there in the dugout just hanging out, some people — Phillies fans — came down to the front row saying, 'Hey, Justin, can you give us a hello?' And he waves to them. They go, 'No, no, no. The Philly hello.' And he goes, 'Yeah. I'll do it.' And does it right back to them. And they loved it. They ate it up. I think that just speaks volumes to what was going on."
The two-time Cy Young Award winner showed up Tuesday and signed autographs for the Phillies fans.
Verlander started Game 1 of the World Series and gave up five runs on six hits in five innings, striking out five and walking two in the Phillies' come-from-behind 6-5 victory in 10 innings.
Philadelphia leads the series 2-1, with Verlander scheduled to pitch Game 5 on Thursday.