Ryan Dempster said after Sunday’s game that he didn’t throw at Alex Rodriguez intentionally. A-Rod and the Yankees aren’t buying it.
Dempster threw three pitches inside against Rodriguez, including one behind him, in the second inning of the Yankees’ 9-6 win. His next pitch drilled the Yankees third baseman, which caused the benches to empty, warnings to be issued and manager Joe Girardi to get tossed after a heated exchange with home plate umpire Brian O’Nora. Rodriguez found Dempster’s actions to be ridiculous.
“Look, my only focus is to play baseball and to play baseball the right way,” Rodriguez told reporters after the game. “That was silly and unprofessional, and my teammates reacted. I thought Joe’s reaction was incredible. Hopefully, we can take this and build some momentum for the rest of the year.”
Rodriguez, who has long been a lightning rod for criticism, has been scrutinized even more since being handed a 211-game suspension that he’s now appealing. Some have even wondered if pitchers might begin to take shots at Rodriguez for disrespecting the game through PED use, although A-Rod said that he’s not concerned about being drilled like he was Sunday.
“Whether you like me or hate me, what’s wrong is wrong,” Rodriguez said. “It was unprofessional and silly, and kind of a silly way to get someone hurt on your team as well.”
Check out the video below to hear more from A-Rod.
Warning: video contains strong language.
Click here to see Dempster drill A-Rod >>
Click here to read about Dempster’s denial >>
Click here to see Girardi discuss the incident >>
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