The Cleveland Indians took a 1-0 lead in their American League Division Series matchup with the New York Yankees on Thursday night and they also evened the score on Twitter with the Bronx Bombers.
Prior to Cleveland’s 4-0 win in Game 1 at Progressive Field, the Yankees trolled The Tribe on Twitter when they claimed Akron, Ohio native, LeBron James, as a Yankees fan.
And the Indians appeared to fire back after right fielder Jay Bruce launched a two-run home run in the fourth inning to give the AL Central champs a 3-0 lead.
Following the home run, the Indians fired off a tweet that appeared to take a shot at the Yankees’ inability to acquire Bruce from the New York Mets in August.
Jay Bruce is on our team because our owner wrote a check that competitors for Jay wouldn't. pic.twitter.com/nIIff4RMcZ
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 6, 2017
The Yankees reportedly were interested in Bruce after the non-waiver trade deadline and apparently had completed a deal before the Indians swooped in and agreed to take on the $5 million remaining on Bruce’s contract, according to The New York Post’s Joel Sherman.
“The Yankees were not only one of those teams, they had agreed to send the two prospects requested by the Mets in exchange for the Mets eating a piece of the roughly $5 million Bruce was owed the rest of the season,” Sherman wrote in August.
“And it was the Indians who ultimately landed Bruce, with a source saying the Yankees never got a chance to bid again. Perhaps it was because Cleveland was willing to assume all the money that Bruce was owed.”
It was a cold-blooded tweet from the defending AL champions.
New York’s Twitter account has been on fire all season, though, so we expect the Yankees to come back with a zinger Friday night during Game 2.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images