ARLINGTON, Texas — Casey Legumina knew what was waiting for him when he opened Instagram on his phone.

It wasn’t a matter if there would be angry messages awaiting him, but just how many and how many were threatening in their nature. He didn’t keep track.

“I just delete them,” he said. “I just kind of ignore them.”

After hitting Mike Trout in the hand with a 94-mph fastball during Sunday’s series finale in Anaheim, Legumina expected an array of messages.

It didn’t matter that X-rays on Trout’s left hand came back negative. The fans were going to let Legumina know what they thought, whether it was claiming he did it on purpose or telling him where he could go or what he could do to himself.

“Obviously, I didn’t mean to do it,” he said. “There was no ill-intention on my part, but I guess lot of fans didn’t like it and think I did it on purpose. It’s how they feel. I personally would never message someone on Instagram or comment on something and say anything mean to someone, but if it makes them feel better about it, then whatever.”

Major League Baseball players have come to realize that angry opposing fans, angry fans of their own team and angry losing gamblers will find them on social media. They will leave comments or send direct messages. Most are not suitable for print. Many often threaten physical harm, which players are supposed to submit to MLB security so those accounts can be flagged.

Trout didn’t help the situation with his postgame comments to the media, saying:

“We know where they’re trying to get me out, fastballs up and in, so it’s just frustrating,” Trout said. “You know, if you can’t control it up there, you shouldn’t do it. It is what it is.”

Bryan Woo also hit Trout in the series-opening game. Woo ran a fastball up and in on the first pitch to the future Hall of Famer and then hit him in the shoulder with the next pitch.

Woo apologized to Trout later in the game.

The Angels also retaliated with Reid Detmers throwing a pitch behind Julio Rodriguez two innings later.

Legumina didn’t appreciate the insinuation that he or other Mariners couldn’t execute a pitch inside. The best way to be effective against Trout is attack with fastballs up and under his hands. It’s been a consistent game plan for years. He was diplomatic but also irritated.

“Even the best of the best, a pitch gets away from them from time to time,” Legumina said. “We’re not robots. We can’t do everything perfectly every time. If we could, it would never be a problem and guys would be striking him out every time.”

Pitchers believe the plate belongs to them as much as the hitter.

As another pitcher pointed out, “so we are supposed to give up the inside part of the plate and let Trout lean out over it to hit pitches on the outside corner just because he doesn’t like to get hit?”

Legumina needs to pitch inside to have success. He’s realistic enough to know he doesn’t possess the lights-out stuff of Matt Brash or Andres Muñoz.

“I’ve gotta be able to go in, out, up, down,” he said. “I gotta be able to do all the things to be effective, especially with my stuff.

He was back in the starting lineup on Tuesday night after missing Monday’s game.

Stetson reunion

A day after going head-to-head in the series opener on Monday night, Logan Gilbert and Jacob deGrom held an informal meeting of the Stetson Hatters MLB alumni club during Tuesday’s early work at Globe Life Field.

The two obviously didn’t play together at the mid-major Division I school in DeLand, Florida. Gilbert remembered that deGrom was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 2014 with the Mets when he was visiting Stetson on a recruiting trip.

The two aren’t close friends, but they do talk when the get the chance. Gilbert and deGrom had a lengthy chat pregame.

“I was trying to steal all the secrets, seeing what I could learn,” Gilbert said. “He knows a few things.”

Anything in particular?

“It’s just seeing like how he thinks about the game and his body and moving and pitching and all that kind of stuff,” Gilbert said. “Seeing what his routines are like. I asked him about before the game, what he does throwing and in between starts, how often he gets on the mound, stuff like that. Just trying to take little things you can use.”

Did deGrom ask him any questions?

“He didn’t ask a ton,” Gilbert said. “I think the guy with two Cy Youngs usually probably gets more questions. So, I was trying to learn from him.”

The conversation had an interloper. Woo stood right near Gilbert, listening intently to everything deGrom said.

“I wasn’t really invited into the conversation but I was going to listen in,” Woo said. “It’s one of those things where you keep your ears open and your mouth shut.”

Gilbert was aware.

“I saw Bryan creeping in,” he said. “I’m going to give him a hard time for it. But we’re all looking for something. It’s smart. I would do the same thing.”

It was the first time Gilbert has pitched against deGrom in a game. But since deGrom came to the Rangers, Gilbert watches his outings closely.

“Every other time, if he’s on the mound, every single pitch, I’m trying to pick up something or see how he does it,” Gilbert said. “He’s just so good at what he does, probably the best at throwing to the glove side with the fastball and slider. It’s fun to watch and try to learn from that.”