Josh Hart experienced quite the emotional rollercoaster on Saturday night.
The Knicks player, rooting for his Yankees to replicate the success he and his teammates had just a few months prior, shared his feelings during the Bombers’ narrow 1-0 loss to the Rays in Game 1 of the ALDS, where the team mustered only a single hit.
Initially, Hart was enthusiastic, posting “Let’s go Yanks!” on X while also cheering on starting pitcher Gerrit Cole with a “Let’s get it 4-5.”
But as Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen began dominating the Yankees, Hart tried to stay hopeful.
“Alright let’s put some hits together!” he encouraged.
As the game progressed, though, it seemed Hart’s anxiety grew about the Yankees potentially making history for all the wrong reasons.
“Please don’t get no hit,” was his plea.
When catcher Austin Wells finally broke up the no-hitter with two outs in the eighth, Hart echoed what many Yankees fans must have thought: Wells was tagged out at third base while trying to stretch a double into a triple, ignoring the signal from third base coach Luis Rojas to stop at second.
“WHY ARE YOU GOING FOR THIRD??” was Hart’s exclamation regarding Wells’ decision.
After the game, Wells explained that he had missed Rojas’ signal until he had passed second base and felt he was “already committed” to heading for third.
“You have to take risks. But in that situation, obviously the risk was wrong,” Wells reflected.
The Yankees, fresh off a sweep against the Red Sox in the wild-card round, will aim to recover in Game 2 on Monday, with Cam Schlittler, a likely Cy Young winner, on the mound.
However, without Aaron Judge in the lineup, they’ll need to find a way to muster more than just one hit to head back to The Bronx with a split.
Meanwhile, Hart is busy with training camp as the Knicks prepare to defend their first NBA championship in over five decades.
