Toronto Blue Jays: Kevin Pillar’s verdict is in and fans chime in

Within 24 hours of his comment, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar finds himself facing some serious repercussions and has had fans talking.

The verdict is in. After outfielder Kevin Pillar blurted out a homophobic phrase towards Atlanta Braves’ pitcher Jason Motte over a quick pitch during Wednesday night’s bout, the Toronto Blue Jays handed him a team suspension.

As reported by Sportsnet, the Blue Jays suspended Pillar for two games without pay, while giving him an undisclosed fine. The Blue Jays also released a statement Thursday afternoon regarding the incident:

More importantly, Pillar himself released a statement after having some words himself the night before.

The statements from both the Blue Jays and Pillar were received with mixed reactions upon their release. To start off, many fans were accepting the apology that Pillar stated:

Others wondered why a suspension was given out to Pillar, while asking why he continued to get negative comments from fans:

As for the Blue Jays, general manager Ross Atkins made the travel to Atlanta to give his input regarding the situation. As reported by the National Post, Atkins said:

"“He’s torn up about it. We are too. We’re going to do everything we can to make it right. There’s no silver lining when something like this happens, but we’re glad that Kevin has chosen to be accountable.”"

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Atkins continued to comment and spoke on how the incident all played out against Motte and the quick pitch:

"“There’s no question that he was in the heat of the moment, but that is no excuse whatsoever,” Atkins said. “We pride ourselves on respecting other people — it’s one of our core values. That’s all walks of life, all communities, all people and anyone this organization touches in some way.”"

It’ll take some time until this all settles. However, will it be forgotten? Most likely not. This is only a small portion of the ongoing debate on what should or has happened to Pillar.

Is it wrong? Yes. Will it always be wrong? Yes.

Fans on all aspects will continue to chime in on the situation, especially once he returns from his suspension against the Baltimore Orioles Saturday afternoon. Only then will we see how Pillar will be received.

Next: Stroman and Maile go back-to-back in Atlanta

What are your thoughts now that a decision has been reached regarding Pillar’s actions? Let us know what you think.