I guess there are worse things in life than being called a buffoon by Ned Yost. But that’s exactly what the Kansas City Royals manager called the Newsday reporter who said more than one industry source confided the Royals were planning retaliation against the Mets for Noah Syndergaard throwing up and in to Alcides Escobar during Game 3 of the World Series.
The Kansas City Star reported Yost’s response after he was told about the Marc Carig report.
“Some buffoon writes something and you guys are gonna jump like little monkeys in a cage for a peanut,” Yost said.
Earlier in the day, a Royals official said the club did have one thing planned for the Mets’ trip to Kauffman Stadium. The team planned to show a 30-second tribute video, honoring their National League championship.
“We’ve got the utmost respect for the Mets and what they accomplished last year,” Yost said. “That’s old. That’s way, way down the river by now. We’re not even thinking about that.”
Some retaliation, huh?
Most of the Royals players expressed shock, saying that until this report that play hadn’t been mentioned once during Spring Training camp. Former Met Dillon Gee confirmed as much.
The consensus among players Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon, Edinson Volquez and Alex Gordon was the same no matter who you asked.
“We got our retaliation when we won the World Series.”
Like I said yesterday when that Newsday report first sprouted, it reeked of BS.
Original Report
According to a report by Marc Carig of Newsday, the Kansas City Royals could be planning to dole out some retaliation against the New York Mets as payback for Noah Syndergaard throwing a pitch over Alcides Escobar’s head in Game 3 of the 2015 World Series.
Perhaps it is nothing more than mind games, a ploy for intimidation. But multiple industry sources told Newsday that the Royals have been signaling their intent to seek retribution against the Mets on Opening Night.
Of course as every Met fan knows, after learning the Royals were up in arms after he sent Escobar sprawling to the ground, Syndergaard famously said: “If they have a problem with me throwing inside, then they can meet me 60 feet, 6 inches away. I’ve got no problem with that.”
Lucas Duda was asked to respond to the report and told Mike Puma of the New York Post that the Mets will be ready if the Royals follow through with their threat of retaliation.
“Whatever they want to do, they are not going to bully us, they are not going to scare us,” a defiant Duda said. “They are not going to scare us by hitting us. You can talk to all 15 position players that we have, and I’m pretty sure none of them are scared.”
“We didn’t hit the guy, did we?” Duda continued. “That was a part of our game plan. We know Escobar is aggressive, we know he likes to swing at the first pitch, and if we throw him a strike, it doesn’t make any sense. If you remember the first game in Kansas City, we threw him a strike and he hit a home run, inside the park.”
I’d be shocked if the Royals do anything and risk an all out brawl and worse yet injuries to their players and ours. Personally, this reeks of bullshit. I mean for crying out loud nobody got hit by a pitch or was hurt. You had a pitcher throwing inside to a hitter who is notorious for crowding the plate. That’s how you play the freaking game. Syndergaard did what every pitcher should do – own the freaking plate.
