Chipper Jones doesn’t have a dog in the Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees fight. He retired six years ago and played his entire Major League Baseball career with the Atlanta Braves.
But Jones, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in January, appreciates the game, its unwritten rules and how to handle on-field disputes. So he took Joe Kelly’s side Wednesday night after the Red Sox reliever drilled Tyler Austin with a pitch in retaliation for a questionable slide earlier in the game.
U slide in with ur spikes up and catch a piece, ur gonna get thrown at young fella. That’s how baseball works. It polices itself, whether people like it or not. That will never change. Love the spirit in both squads though. #Redsox/Yankees
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) April 12, 2018
Jones clearly didn’t like Austin sliding into Brock Holt at second base with his spikes high in the second inning. Holt took exception to the slide, prompting the benches to clear, but the real fireworks didn’t occur until Austin charged the mound in the seventh inning upon being plunked.
Regardless of where you stand, there’s one thing we all can agree on: The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is heating back up, and baseball fans (and current/former players) everywhere are taking notice.
