Rays outfielder Brett Phillips delivered a parting bow to Yankees fans Sunday before leaving the field to conclude Tampa Bay’s three-game sweep of the Bronx Bombers.
Then he called them out on Twitter for being absolutely awful.
The Rays clobbered the Yankees all weekend long, beginning the festivities with an 8-2 win on Friday night. In the eighth inning, some enraged onlookers started throwing baseballs onto the field while the Yankees were batting, endangering every Rays player out there. The AP reports about six balls were tossed from the stands.
Fast-forward to Sunday, and the Rays once again took it to the Yankees, beating them 4-2. Most depressingly, Gerrit Cole was tagged with the loss. Every other Yankees starting pitcher has a FIP over 5.00.
The 5-10 Yankees are now the worst team in the American League, and there is a delicious piece of irony attached to the Rays sending them into the cellar. New York’s payroll is more than $130 million higher than Tampa Bay’s.
Despite that gross disparity, the Rays have defeated the Yankees in 18 of their last 23 meetings.
It’s a fact that probably isn’t lost on any player in Tampa Bay’s locker room, including Phillips. He seemed to bask in the hate he received Sunday for his well-timed taunt.
“Stay classy Yankee Fans,” Phillips tweeted.
Later, Phillips reminded everybody why he was compelled to bow in the first place.
The Yankees almost certainly won’t be this bad for the entire season. As the weather warms up, it’s inevitable that All-Stars such as Giancarlo Stanton and D.J. LeMahieu will start hitting. But the same turnaround can’t be projected for the starting rotation. Behind Cole, the Yankees are relying on the sorry trio of Corey Kluber (6.10 ERA), Jameson Taillon (7.56 ERA) and Domingo German (9.00 ERA). Luis Severino is slated to return at some point, but he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery — hardly a precursor for immediate success.
With that in mind, the limited number of fans allowed into Yankee Stadium will probably see many more losses this spring. Here’s hoping visiting players continue to rile them up.
