Minnesota Twins anchor Jim Cat made an offensive statement while describing New York Yankees shooter Nestor Curtis on air Thursday, in the second such comment over the past year.
Kat was calling for the Twins’ 3-2 loss to the Tigers in Detroit on Thursday, and Curtis teased while Chris Archer hit Miguel Cabrera.
“Nestor Molestor, Nestor Curtis,” Cat said on air. “Man, it’s fun to watch.”
The twins spoke to Cat after the match, and said he plans to reach out to Curtis to apologize.
“We obviously take these matters very seriously, and as in all cases, we will handle this internally and confidentially,” Dustin Morse, Twins Vice President of Communications and Content, said via The Associated Press.
“C means no bad faith.”
Curtis, who went by the nickname “Neste Nestor,” was asked about the incident after the Yankees’ double-header against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.
“I’m sure, you know, he didn’t really mean it, and people make mistakes, but that didn’t bother me at all,” Curtis said, via The Associated Press. “So, you know, I don’t really have anything to say other than that, frankly.”
Kat, 83, played in the MLB from 1959-1983 for the Senators, Twins, White Sox, Phillies, Yankees and Cardinals. The Hall of Famer and longtime commentator has also worked with the Yankees and MLB Network.
Thursday’s incident is his second in less than a year. In October during the MLB Network’s broadcast of the ALDS match between the Astros and the White Sox, Kat said teams should try to “have a 40-acre stadium full of players” similar to Yoan Moncada. This comment, of course, refers to the 40 acres of land and mule promised by the United States government, which largely failed to deliver slaves after their liberation in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Kat later apologized during that match, saying he “used poor choice of words which resulted in an insensitive and hurtful comment.”