A Yankees fan in the Bronx found himself a creative way to help his favorite team on Tuesday night… at least until it earned him an ejection from the home-plate umpire.
With Gary Sanchez batting in the eighth inning, someone sitting behind home plate began shouting out pitch locations in Spanish, based on where Rays catcher Wilson Ramos was lining up, according to the Associated Press. The fan reportedly yelled, “Outside, outside” in Spanish, perhaps assuming the umpire wouldn’t notice, but the Spanish-speaking Ramos quickly caught on.
Ramos said the spectator’s shouts were accurate.
“That was not professional. If you come to the game, you’re asked to enjoy the game,” he said. “Everybody’s supposed to see the ball and just react with pitches … so to me, it’s like cheating.”
With a 3-2 count, the umpire paused the game to confer with a security staffer and send the shouting fan home. Unlike every other “cheating” scandal in baseball history, this one seemed pretty non-controversial.
Both managers praised the ejection.
“Rightfully so. That shouldn’t happen,” the Yankees’ Joe Girardi said.
Said Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash: “The Yankees handled it really well and got him out of there.”
Those seats behind home plate cost a whole lot of money, so it figures fans there would feel like they can get away with anything, but it seems shouting out pitch locations crosses the line.
