San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Giants issued a statement Monday condemning an incident involving Baltimore outfielder Adam Jones.
Jones took to Twitter following Sunday's 10-2 road win over the Giants to voice his displeasure. Jones, who is African-American, claimed a fan at AT&T Park threw a banana at him.
"I want to thank whatever slap---- threw that banana towards my direction in CF in the last inning. Way to show ur class u jack---," Jones tweeted.
Jones went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI on Sunday.
"We were extremely disappointed to learn about the incident involving Adam Jones at AT&T Park yesterday," the team's statement read. "The Giants have a zero tolerance policy against this type of behavior, which results in immediate ejection from the ballpark. While we have been investigating the matter since we learned of the situation, unfortunately we have been unable to identify the person responsible. We would like to extend our sincerest apologies to Adam and the entire Orioles organization for this unfortunate incident. The inappropriate actions of this individual in no way reflect the values of our organization and our fans."
The fan in question is reportedly Alexander Poulides, who told the San Jose Mercury News he grabbed the banana off a catering cart and hurled it toward the field in disgust near the end of the game.
Poulides told the newspaper the incident was not racially motivated and his action for the banana toss was not at Jones, but toward the Giants and "their poor performance."
Poulides said he was "embarrassed and shocked by the outcome," according to the newspaper.
"In hindsight, I wish I didn't do it and I apologize. I'm very sorry," he told the Mercury News.
Wayne Simmonds of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers had a banana hurled in his direction while on the ice during an exhibition game in Ontario in September 2011.