Longtime Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez took some shots at the New York Yankeesâ defence earlier this season. Yankees manager Aaron Boone fired back on the eve of their American League division series.
Booneâs team has been better since then, but finished 18th in the majors with minus-six outs above average. The Jays were ninth at plus-15.
âYou know, the Yankees, theyâre not a good team,â Martinez said during a Sportsnet broadcast on Sept. 9.
âI donât care what their record is. They have a lot of wild pitches, they make a lot of mistakes in the field, and they donât run the bases well. If they donât hit home runs, they donât have a chance to win.âBoone was asked Friday about the improvements the Yankees have made since they last faced the Jays. The question didnât have anything to do with Martinez, but since it was about defence, Boone decided to wade in.
âThe times when we were here in the summer, a couple times (we werenât) at our best certainly and still working through some things,â he said. âI feel like obviously the last couple months weâve really started to play really well.
Contrary to some thoughts up here, weâre a really good team.âI know Buck had some thoughts. Thatâs all I was responding to. Heâs wrong. But it doesnât matter. Weâve got to go play, and weâve got to go perform, as everyone does this time of year.â
The war of words between the Yankees and Jays is nothing new. Itâs also not the first time a broadcaster has gotten involved. During a July series at the Rogers Centre, YES Network play-by-play announcer Michael Kay said the Jays âwerenât a first-place teamâ and were ânot playing great baseball.â
That caused an uproar in the Jaysâ fan base and Kay attempted to clarify those comments during an interview with the Star later that month.
âMaybe I articulated it poorly,â Kay said. âBut I was talking about run differential, where they have exceeded their run differential. And in the same sentence, I said the Yankeesâ run differential is much better and they have underperformed.
