A pitcher for a Raleigh baseball team was laughed off the mound Sunday when he gave up a home run to an opposing batter after telling him to “go home where you came from”.
Sterling Waite was pitching for the South Saunders Brix against the Gorman Street Hot and Readys in the first inning when second baseman Dave Clark stepped up to the plate.
“Waite sure was acting cocky up there on the mound,” a member of the Hot and Readys, who asked to remain anonymous, told reporters. “It was only the first inning for Pete’s sake, and he was already talking junk to our guy like that.”
“He shut up after Dave hit it over the fence, though.”
Waite apologized after the game, but denied that he intended to make a racial slur.
“Oh no, I’m definitely not a racist,” Waite explained. “I have a black friend and I also dated a Hawaiian.”
“Now that was the best two weeks of my life. No white hood for me.”
Some of the spectators didn’t believe Waite’s explanation, however.
“It was awful,” Brix fan Jamie Welch said. “I couldn’t believe anyone would say that to a Hispanic.”
Dillard Alspaugh, another Brix fan, said Waite should be banned from baseball.
“Clearly he’s a bigot,” Alspaugh said, “and there’s no room in this game for hating minorities. I don’t care what color you are.”
Clark told reporters that he was offended by Waite’s comment.
“Don’t let my name fool you,” Clark said. “I’m actually 1/72nd Hispanic, that’s what my grandparents told me when I was a kid.”
“That home run was for all the 1/72nd kids out there. You’re all 72/72nds to me.”
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