What seemed like a regular blowout game between the battered New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays became really spicy really quick. In the ninth inning of the game, New York sent rookie reliever Greg Weissert to the mound. Facing off against Vladimir Guerrero Jr, the Yankees pitcher hit the Blue Jays star with a 92-mph sinker. Guerrero was not happy, staring down the rookie. This, in turn, seemingly angered Anthony Rizzo, who confronted Guerrero. After the game, Rizzo shared his thoughts on the altercation to MLB.com.
““He just kept staring at Greg, staring at him, and I took exception to that,” (Yankees star) Rizzo said. “He’s not trying to hit him there. We’re not trying to hit him. Just play baseball. I’ve been hit many times in this game. Very rarely have I ever stared at someone when I know absolutely it’s not intentional at all.””
It might not have been intentional, but getting hit by an MLB-level pitch is annoying at best and infuriating at worst. Even if there was no malice, Guerrero Jr was likely pissedthat he could’ve gotten injured because of the pitcher’s wonky control. Still, props to Rizzo for standing up for his teammate. The Yankees star knows all too well the feeling of a HBP, as he’s consistently led the league in HBPs. He knows the difference between an intentional plunking and a wild pitch.
The Yankees unfortunately lost this game in brutal fashion, losing 6-1 to the Blue Jays. New York’s bats just couldn’t find the ball during the game, and their pitching staff couldn’t keep up with Yusei Kikuchi and the Toronto bullpen. The hope for the pinstripes is that their next game will be much better.
And boy, what a game is that shaping up to be. The aces of each team will be facing off in Game 2, as Alex Manoah takes on Gerrit Cole. There’s bad blood between the two players, and even some between the Yankees and the Blue Jays team. We’ll see just how brutal this series will be.
The post Anthony Rizzo breaks silence on Yankees-Blue Jays dust-up after Vladimir Guerrero Jr HBP appeared first on ClutchPoints.
