Pitcher Anthony Bass claims flight attendant asked his pregnant wife to clean up after their child, fueling heated Twitter debate

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass lashed out at United Airlines, claiming a flight attendant forced his pregnant wife to clean up a midair mess left by their toddler daughter.

The Twitter-fueled dust-up started Sunday with the first of several tweets by Bass complaining that his 22-weeks’ pregnant wife was made to "get on her hands and knees to pick up the popcorn mess left by my youngest daughter."

Bass is married to Sydney Rae James, the sister of country singer Jessie James Decker.

Decker also chimed in, via a since-expired Instagram story, saying that her sister is going through a high-risk pregnancy and that she texted her from the plane about the popcorn spill, according to NBC Los Angeles and Access Hollywood.

"My poor sister is on her hands and knees crying in the aisle, completely humiliated and exhausted with her children, while everyone else watched," Decker reportedly wrote.

But if Bass was seeking online sympathy, then he misread the virtual room as he squared off with netizens who didn't take his side.

In the face of the Twitter backlash, Bass insisted he and his family are in the right and even hinted that their complaints have prompted United to take action against the flight attendant.

He did an online bat flip by posting a picture of his daughter with a bag of popcorn.

The same picture was posted on his wife's Instagram feed Monday, drawing a humorous response from Decker, the child's aunt, who wrote: "The popcorn hazard."

Representatives for United Airlines could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.

The Association of Flight Attendants, which represents United crew members, said in a statement Tuesday that its members and travelers share the same space: "We want this space to serve the needs of everyone on the plane and that takes strict safety rules and a recognition that we’re sharing the aircraft cabin to do something we can’t do alone."

But the union declined to specifically address Bass' complaint.

"It wouldn’t be a day in aviation without a raging debate on Twitter over an event in the air, even if we don’t have all of the facts," the union said. "Our experience tells us that commenting on this specific incident without all of the information likely won’t help."

Florida-based etiquette consultant Jacqueline Whitmore, a former flight attendant, said it'd be "unprofessional" for in-flight crew to ask a passenger to clean up his or her own mess.

"We don't know the flight attendant's side. All we know is what Anthony Bass tweeted ... but the fact that this flight attendant might have said 'Get on your hands and knees and clean that up' is not only unprofessional, but it's unbelievable," said Whitmore, who was a Northwest Airlines flight attendant in the 1990s.

Whitmore, who founded The Protocol School of Palm Beach, which consults on issues of corporate etiquette, still urged travelers to be considerate and mindful of a plane’s condition when they leave it.

"It is the responsibility of every passenger, regardless of age, to pack their manners and clean up after themselves," she said.

Bass, 35, has spent time with the San Diego Padres, the Texas Rangers, the Miami Marlins, the Chicago Cubs, the Seattle Mariners and the Houston Astros, and he is now on his second tour of duty in Toronto.

He's off to a difficult start in this young season, having surrendered 11 hits and six earned runs in just 7-1/3 innings.

Bass' wife did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment Tuesday.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com