Kevin Cash: “This is absolutely ridiculous. It was mishandled by the Yankees, certainly the pitcher on the mound, it was mishandled by the umpires. They hit Joey Wendle intentionally in the first inning, it was clear as day. Chapman comes in and throws three different balls up and in. I get it, they don’t like being throw at up and in, but enough is enough. We’re talking about a 100 mile per hour fastball over a young man’s head, it just makes no sense. It’s poor judgement, it’s poor coaching, it’s just poor teaching what they’re doing, and what they’re allowing to do. The chirping from the dugout... I mean, somebody go tell me, go pull numbers of who is hitting who more. I can assure you, other than three years ago there hasn’t been one pitch thrown with intent from any of our guys, period. Somebody has to be accountable, and the last thing I will say on it is I got a whole damn stable full of guys who throw 98 miles per hour, period.”
Tampa Bay Ray manager Kevin Cash appeared to make a direct threat to the New York Yankees just minutes after their bench-clearing brawl that began when Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman buzzed a 101 mph fastball mere inches above Rays pinch hitter Mike Brosseau’s head in one of the more disturbing sweet chin musics that you’ll ever see.
Play was stopped after the near-miss and umpires deliberated for a few moments before issuing warning to both dugouts. Cash came out to argue and you could pick up some of Cash's comments on the YES Network hot mic on being pissed off about Chapman having already throw up and in to the previous two Rays batters.
Chapman would strike Brousseau out a few pitches later, and do his typical celebration flexing and staring right in the opposing batters' direction, but the benches emptied when there was apparently coming from the Yankees dugout.
A very heated Cash would instantly go to his local Tampa Bay sports reporters and voice his frustrations with the incident, even shockingly remarking at the end of his rant 'I've got a whole damn stable of guys who can throw 98 miles per hour.', in a raging comment that will surely cost Cash some money from the league.
When told of Cash’s comments during the Yankees post game, New York manager Aaron Boone called the remarks ‘scary’.
Chapman had already gone up and in on the first pitch to the first two batters of the inning, Joey Wendle and Austin Meadows, but the final one to Brousseau was by far the worst.
Cash outright said that Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka – who has some of the best control in baseball – intentionally hit Wendle in the first inning.
The Yankees and Rays are not division rivals like the Yankees and Red Sox are, but they have had a history of hatred.
Former Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia was famously within just a few more outs from earning a $500,000 bonus during the final week of the season in 2018 when he decided to hit a Rays batter early in retaliation from an earlier incident even though warnings had already been issued and he knew an ejection would cost him half a million. The Yankees would end up giving Sabathia the bonus despite him coming up two innings short.
The Yankees-Rays game at Yankees Stadium on Thursday will be the final game of the season series.
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