Any Yankees-Rays series nowadays seems to come with an underlying uncertainty of the divisional rivalry growing into something more, especially after the Yanks hit four Rays batters in last weekend’s series in Tampa, which the Rays certainly didn’t appreciate.
But as the Bombers get set for a three-game set with Tampa in the Bronx this weekend, manager Aaron Boone tried to clarify that he hopes to go without any extracurricular battles this time around.
“Hopefully it’s just two teams out there, two really good teams that are going to be fighting,” Boone said. “Fighting in this division.”
Well, “fighting” might not be the best word to use when it comes to these two teams, who have cleared their benches multiple times in recent years, including last season when an Aroldis Chapman fastball whizzed past the head of Michel Brosseau.
“I don’t mean fighting,” Boone said in an attempt to clarify. “I mean fighting it out on the field.”
After a brief pause, Boone clarified again with a laugh to make sure he meant “fighting” in as peaceful a term as possible.
“Baseball, that is.” Boone laughed while clearing up where he hoped the fighting would occur.
For Boone and the Yankees, it’s an important distinction, especially with these two teams, who put any high and tight pitch under a microscope given the hostility between the two clubs in recent years. Over the past two seasons, the Yanks and Rays have been the teams battling for AL East supremacy, and the intensity has been prevalent on the field each time out. With 16 games still left between the two teams, Boone is hoping any jawing and plunking is left in the past, and the rivalry is based purely in the baseball.
“I hope not,” Boone said when asked if he anticipated any response from the Rays this weekend. “Obviously we hit a few of their guys unintentionally, but understand that’s frustrating being on the other side of it when your guys get hit. I hope it’s two good team playing quality baseball against each other. That’s my hope, always. is. I don’t expect or hope nothing goes on beyond that.”
Boone thinks some of the lighter fluid poured onto the rivalry has been a mix of the two teams’ mutual competitiveness and a few unintentional pitches that may have been perceived as otherwise. Nevertheless, it has become a topic of discussion any time they share a field, and isn’t tough to see that the two teams don’t like each other.
“I think it’s been two good teams going after the same teams and playing a lot of games against each other,” Boone said. “When you have two highly competitive teams, you’ve had situations where guys have gotten hit or knocked down…and you’re playing each other a lot, sometimes that spills over and you kind of create that rivalry.”
While previous run-ins have brought about memorable moments from CC Sabathia and Rays manager Kevin Cash, who memorably told reporters his team has “a whole stable of guys that throw 98 mph,” Boone hopes this weekend doesn’t add another chapter to the rivalry that doesn’t have to do with the game itself.
“My hope, as it always is, is that it’s about the baseball between the lines,” Boone said.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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