While the umpiring crew spent a seemingly eternity trying to figure out whether Aaron Boone was allowed to make a pitching change or not late in Wednesday’s win over the Rays, Tampa outfielder Randy Arozarena was rested on the ledge of the Yankee dugout, talking with New York starter Nestor Cortes Jr.
Cortes had already been removed from the game after 5.1 solid innings, while Arozarena had been on first base before the stoppage in play to determine the ruling. The two Cuban natives talked for a good amount of the delay, which really got to Brandon Tierney.
“I know the times have changed, but especially with baseball, I’ve retained a lot of my elements in being a pursuit with certain things,” BT said during Thursday’s show. “Like protecting your guys…guys get hit, get their back. You hit somebody, keep it below the neck. Things like that I subscribe to.
“Can somebody explain to me why it is OK for Randy Arozarena to stand and actually lean on the Yankee dugout for the entire 16-minute delay chatting it up with Nestor Cortes?”
It was also brought up on the YES Network broadcast, and while the Yanks and Rays have been rivals and have had their spats since 2020, when Aroldis Chapman whizzed a fastball right over the head of Michael Brosseau. Things seem to have settled down this season, but BT doesn’t like seeing two divisional rivals acting so friendly on the field.
“That bothered me. Get away from the Yankee dugout,” BT said. “Get lost. They’re your enemy.
“It’s a bad look. Even if they’re boys…as a baseball fan, it’s the Rays. Its not the Orioles or some innocuous team like the Rangers or the A’s. it’s the Tampa Bat Rays, who have owned you for a couple years. Get away from the dugout, dude.”
BT is convinced that wouldn’t have been tolerated in previous generations, especially with a rival team and a player who had terrorized the Yanks in the 2020 ALDS in Arozarena.
“He was there way too long,” BT said. Either [Aaron] Judge, if you’re the captain, or somebody else, you think [Jorge] Posada would have put up with that, or Tino [Martinez]? It’s a different era, but there are certain things that should bleed in from generation to generation.”
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