K-ROD: BRUNEY CASE CLOSED

May 2024 · 2 minute read

Francisco Rodriguez doesn’t expect to be part of a Subway Series undercard this weekend.

The Mets’ closer divulged yesterday that he received an apology from Brian Bruney for the comments the Yankees reliever made about him two weeks ago, and Rodriguez now considers it cased closed.

METS BLOG

BOX SCORE

“[Bruney] apologized to me and I accepted his apology,” Rodriguez said after the Mets’ 3-2 victory over the Cardinals.

Rodriguez said a clubhouse attendant delivered the apology from Bruney after the series finale at Yankee Stadium, hours after a raging Rodriguez confronted Bruney in the outfield during pregame drills. A day earlier, Bruney, while on a rehab assignment for Double-A Trenton, had ripped Rodriguez for his “tired act” — a reference to K-Rod’s mound theatrics.

“You make a mistake and you learn from it,” Rodriguez said yesterday, speaking about the incident for the first time since his confrontation with Bruney. “Now, next time before he says something about somebody . . . you have to be careful about what you say. We’re humans and sometimes, unfortunately, we make comments about other people and we don’t realize what we’re saying. We’re not thinking, we just say it.”

Rodriguez, who had to be separated from Bruney by Mike Pelfrey and Jose Veras (it was a rare hold for the since-departed Yankees reliever), said he had no intention of fighting Bruney.

“I just wanted to find out if we honestly had any difficulties, just come to me and say it,” Rodriguez said. “I shouldn’t have [confronted him], because I didn’t want to make it bigger and the fans were in there, but at the same time I just felt a little offended.

“He got me a little out of line, but nothing more than that.”

The same could be said for the Cardinals, who had Rodriguez sweating a bit in yesterday’s ninth inning. But Yadier Molina’s shot to left field — with the tying run at second and the go-ahead run at first — nestled into Jeremy Reed’s glove, giving K-Rod his 20th save in 22 tries.

Rodriguez created the jam by walking Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick in succession with two outs. Molina then hit a drive that sounded like bad news to Rodriguez.

“If anybody suffered a heart attack out there, send me the medical bills,” Rodriguez said. “I’ll take care of it. It’s on me.”

mpuma@nypost.com

ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2JlfXp7j29ma25foHqzu8NmmautnprGbq%2FArJxmm5ykwKawjg%3D%3D