Red Sox's Napoli after taking Yankees' Tanaka deep in 9th: 'What an idiot!' (VIDEO)
New York Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka made one mistake Saturday night: he threw Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli a fastball in the ninth inning, the game tied 1-1. Not a splitter, or a slider. A fastball.
Napoli couldn't believe it. He took the ball the other way, and it cleared the fence, albeit barely, for a Yankee Stadium special:
It was the winning run, the Red Sox taking the game 2-1. And here was Napoli's reaction upon returning to Boston's dugout:
Napoli said after the game that his comments weren't directed at Tanaka, who shook off his catcher Brian McCann's calls for a splitter, and a slider, instead opting for a heater.
Tanaka said via his interpreter: "The sign was for a breaking ball. I actually wanted to go hard outside there with my fastball. That's why I shook him off. The fact is I missed my spot."
Napoli said:
We suppose Napoli was calling the other Tanaka who threw the pitch an idiot.
HEADLINES
- Cardinals' Contreras fractures arm after being hit by swing
- Verdugo powers Yankees to blowout win over Verlander, Astros
- Blue Jays' Schneider: 'The mood is fine' amid struggles
- Nats shut out Orioles, move above .500 for 1st time since 2021
- Cy Young rankings: Fresh faces lead way in competitive early field