Note to the New York Yankees: Be nicer to the kids.
Especially if they’re named for their fathers.
Ken Griffey Jr. once said he’d never sign with the Yankees and would retire if they were the lone team to offer him a contract.
It seems when “The Kid” was still one and his dad was playing in New York, a security guard kicked him out of the dugout while allowing Graig Nettles’ son to stay on the field taking grounders.
Griffey Jr. never forgot that slight. In the 1995 American League Division Series against New York, Griffey Jr. hit five homers and scored the winning run from first base in the 11th inning of Game 5 on what Seattle Mariners fans still refer to as “The Double” by Edgar Martinez.
Fast forward a few years and the Yankees kicked a young Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off the field.
It seems safe to say the Toronto Blue Jays’ star still holds a grudge. After all, when asked early in his career if he’d ever sign with the Bronx Bombers[1], Vladdy Jr. replied, “no, not even dead.”
Guerrero Jr. batted .529 with three homers, nine RBIs and an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of 1.609 as the Blue Jays eliminated the Yankees in four games. The clincher came in a 5-2 victory Wednesday, 30 years to the day after Griffey Jr. raced around the bases.
Guerrero Jr. joined Fox Sports’ postgame show from the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium and, as teammates poured beer over his head, he bellowed “DAAA YANKEES LOSE!” in mocking former New York radio broadcaster John Sterling’s signature call.
“To me, it’s one pitch at a time, one hit at a time,” Guerrero Jr. said. “When you believe in your teammates and you believe in God, everything happens. I put this year in God’s hands, and thank God we won this series.”
The top-seeded Blue Jays will return home and await the winner[2] of the Detroit-Seattle showdown in the AL Championship Series. The Tigers avoided elimination Wednesday, overcoming a three-run deficit to defeat the visiting Mariners 9-3.
The Tigers will send ace Tarik Skubal to the mound Friday in the deciding Game 5 in Seattle.
“Sitting in my chair, one of the easiest things to do and one of the most exciting things to do is hand the ball to the best pitcher in baseball,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.
Not that any guarantees come with that.
The Mariners defeated Skubal, a former Seattle University standout, twice during the regular season.
Skubal didn’t get a decision in Game 2 despite pitching seven strong innings in a game Seattle eventually won 3-2.
“I’ll let you guys create the narrative,” Skubal told reporters. “I’m just going to do what I do best, and that’s play baseball and create pitches. The game is still the game. I’ll let you guys write the stories and do your jobs, but you’re not going to get anything from me.”
In the National League, the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies avoided sweeps Wednesday. The Phillies defeated the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 behind a pair of homers from Kyle Schwarber and the host Cubs scored four first-inning runs and held on to edge Milwaukee 4-3.
References
- ^ when asked early in his career if he’d ever sign with the Bronx Bombers (www.mlb.com)
- ^ Blue Jays will return home and await the winner (deadspin.com)