To some, it was simply a much-talked-about national anthem standoff before the Reds won three straight games against the Yankees to complete the sweep.
But for Cincinnati’s players, the game that ultimately led to the Reds’ 8-4 victory Thursday at Yankee Stadium — featuring pitchers Graham Ashcraft, Carson Spiers, Ian Hamilton and Cody Poteet — “definitely sealed the deal,” Reds first baseman Spencer Stier told reporters.
“It was really amazing. [Ashcraft] “Just to get a win for us and get a little bit of an advantage before the first pitch,” Steer said. According to the Associated Press.
According to the outlet, the commotion lasted for more than five minutes and continued through the Yankees’ warmups before starting pitcher Marcus Stroman threw the first pitch of the game.
Spiers eventually walked off the field after “thinking about the fine and realizing he couldn’t pay it,” according to the Associated Press.
“So I just made a business decision,” Spears added.
And when Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Hamilton and Poteet to leave the field for the start of the game after umpires had already spoken with players from both teams, Ashcraft, 26, who has a 5.45 ERA in 14 starts this year, was the last player left.
“One of the men saw that they were not moving. [Spiers] “I said, ‘I have nothing to do today. I’m going to stay until I win or I’m out or both,'” Ashcraft said, according to the Associated Press.
Anthem’s conflict. Charles Wenzelberg
Boone told reporters the stalemate did not delay the game, but “they were struggling.”
To start the game, the Reds hit three home runs off Stroman in the fifth inning, including a three-run homer by Steer, and added three more runs in the seventh with a bases-loaded triple by Jake Fraley.
But the Yankees continued to struggle, losing for the 14th time in their last 19 games. After the Fourth of July loss, Judge’s personal hitting coach, Richard Schenck, who helped him improve his swing, criticized the Yankees’ improvement. Reply to YES Network posts About X.
“He’s hitting like an MVP and the Yankees have lost 13 of 18 games,” Schenck wrote. “The Yankees’ offensive player development is terrible.”
The Yankees open a three-game series against the Red Sox in the Bronx on Friday, while the Reds host the Tigers at Great American Ball Park.
