Almost two years ago, Rays reliever Andrew Kittredge threw near then-Yankees catcher Austin Romine’s head.
It set off one of the more memorable nights in recent Yankees history, with CC Sabathia following up by plunking a Rays hitter, getting ejected and then yelling, “That’s for you, b****!” at Tampa Bay’s dugout on his way off the field.
The Yankees haven’t forgotten.
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“He threw at Romine’s head a couple of years ago,” Aaron Judge said after the Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday night. “Any time someone throws at somebody’s head, you usually don’t forget that.”
That’s why things got so heated — at least in New York’s dugout — when Kittredge threw up in to Gio Urshela and DJ LeMahieu in the fifth inning. He nearly hit both of them. Didn’t help that, earlier in the game, Diego Castillo nearly drilled LeMahieu near his hands and face.
It ended up with hitting coach Marcus Thames and manager Aaron Boone each getting ejected shortly after.
Judge articulated the Yankees’ displeasure well.
“Having somebody throw at Romine a couple of years ago — you don’t usually forget stuff like that. Then for (the Rays) to continue to throw up and in. We’ve got a lot of big hitters up there and they’re going to throw in. But to miss that far up and in that many times, you’re going to get a little barking from the dugout.”
It’s a trend the Yankees have seen all year. Judge, Stanton, Luke Voit and many others have gotten pushed far off the plate with pitches near their heads.
“It’s just the lineup we have,” Judge said. “We’ve got a lot of big power hitters that can drive the baseball. So, a lot of teams are really trying to back us up at the plate. It’s something we know that something they’ve done for years now. They want to try to come in and back us off just so that they can open up the outer side of the plate. It’s something we’ve got to deal with, but I know our pitchers are there to protect us.”
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Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
The Link LonkAugust 09, 2020 at 07:00PM
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What’s beef? Yankees very angry at Rays’ Andrew Kittredge, 2 years later - NJ.com
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