Plesac 'disgusted' with how media portrayed him after breaking protocol
Cleveland Indians pitcher Zach Plesac had some harsh words for the media while explaining how he broke MLB's health and safety protocols during a road trip last weekend.
Plesac aired his grievances during a six-and-a-half minute video posted to his Instagram account Thursday, in which he also explained what happened in Chicago.
"The media, really, is terrible, man," Plesac said. "They do some evil things to create stories and to make things sound better ... Truthfully, I'm disgusted with the way the media's handled this whole situation surrounding our team, and this is why, based on my feelings, I want to get on here and express the truth to you guys."
According to Plesac, he and teammate Mike Clevinger went out for dinner with a group of friends following his start against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Aug. 8. After dinner, they went back to the home of one of his friends, where the group hung out for the evening and "opened up baseball cards."
The 25-year-old said he and Clevinger weren't with more than eight people at any time last Saturday, putting them in line with the Center for Disease Control's recommendations for safe social gatherings (the CDC recommends no more than 10 people gather together at one time).
"So (the) media's portraying me and my best friend and teammate to be malicious with our actions," Plesac said. "(I'm) not justifying what we did, because we left the hotel - and according to the new (MLB) rules we weren't supposed to leave - but according to the CDC, and these guidelines with corona, we were practicing safe practices in a small group with people who we know have been tested."
Plesac admitted to returning to the hotel after curfew, where he and Clevinger were seen by MLB. The Indians had Plesac quarantine for three days as a precaution, and he took a car service from Chicago back to Cleveland instead of flying on the charter. Clevinger flew home with the team; it was only discovered later that he also went out that night.
Both pitchers were placed on the restricted list Tuesday. Clevinger later issued his own apology.