The Tampa Bay Rays found themselves at the center of a viral moment Wednesday night—one that had little to do with playoff races but everything to do with optics. In the ninth inning of the Rays’ 6-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, Pete Fairbanks hit Orioles rookie Samuel Basallo with a 96.6 mph fastball, then turned to the stands and blew a kiss.

Confusion erupted online. Some thought the gesture was directed at the Orioles’ dugout. Others assumed it was retaliation. In reality, the Rays closer cleared it up postgame.

The Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka took to his X (formerly known as Twitter) account to share Fairbanks’ explanation after the game.

“Pete Fairbanks said there was a fan above the Orioles dugout who chirped him. The kiss was not directed toward Ori

See Full Page