The New York Mets’ season hasn’t lived up to its promise, with pitching struggles derailing a team tipped to compete for a place in the playoffs, and the pressure seems to have become too much for their mascot, Mr Met.

On Wednesday night, as Mr Met made his way down the tunnel after his team’s 7-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, he gave fans the finger. (Although, technically, it wasn’t the middle finger, as he only has three fingers and a thumb.) The team said the person wearing the costume will no longer work for the Mets as a mascot but will stay with the organization.

“We apologize for the inappropriate action of this employee,” the Mets said in a statement. “We do not condone this type of behavior. We are dealing with this matter internally.”

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The New York Post later spoke to a fan, who said Mr Met snapped after someone insulted his mother. “Mr Met was being heckled all night from those fans, and security spoke to the fans about it after Mr Met’s handler spoke up,” the fan, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Post. “I do know that the fans were cursing at Mr Met with the f-word and saying derogatory things about Mr Met’s mom ... which led to the gesture because of a personal matter with his mom.”

Mr Met, whose head is an oversized baseball, is one of the most recognizable mascots in the game, and has been with the Mets since 1964. It was unclear if the mother being insulted was that of Mr Met the mascot or the person inside the costume. What is certain is that giving birth to someone with a giant baseball for a head would cause problems.

Last season, Mets ace Noah Syndergaard said he was terrified of Mr Met and his wife, the appropriately named Mrs Met. “They’re just creepy,” the pitcher said. “They’re very stealthy, but they’re huge at the same time. I feel like they sneak up on me everywhere. The most terrifying mascot for me, Mr Met, is probably somewhere around here.”

Syndergaard’s latest injury, which has put him on the sidelines for at least a few months, is not thought to have been caused by either of the Mets. Mrs Met has yet to comment on her husband’s behavior on Wednesday night.

The incident is not the first off-field controversy involving the Mets this season. This month pitcher Matt Harvey was suspended for three days after failing to show up for a game, while a sex toy was visible in catcher Kevin Plawecki’s locker in an official team tweet. Plawecki said it was part of a prank played by his team-mates.