Former Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia’s wife Amber took a shot at the Rays on Instagram ahead of their ALDS matchup.
The burning tension between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays came to a head numerous times throughout the regular season, so it’s only fitting that the two AL East rivals are slated to face each other in the second round of the playoffs.
The Yankees (for the most part) kept their palpable animosity behind closed doors when Aroldis Chapman wasn’t involved in the proceedings, and that could likely be traced back to the fact that one of their outspoken leaders for the last decade, CC Sabathia, is no longer around.
If benches cleared and tensions boiled over during a game, the former six-time All-Star would never hesitate to call out an opposing team or specific player during the postgame presser, and Yankees fans will be thrilled to hear that his energy translates to his family.
So much so, in fact, that Sabathia’s wife, Amber, took a shot at the Rays in the comments section of an Instagram post by MLB’s official account.
You absolutely love to see it!
Leading up to the ALDS, both the Yankees and Rays have been adamant in remaining focused on baseball and keeping their emotions simmered, so it’s only right to let Amber Sabathia fuel some controversy ahead of Game 1 on Monday.
"“We want to win and advance, and that’s where our focus is going to lie,” manager Aaron Boone told reporters. “We don’t want to get caught up in the back-and-forth. There’s going to be things that come up that probably become a little bit contentious within the series, but I’m confident that our guys will do a good job of keeping their blinders on. We understand what’s at stake. I am confident that’s where our focus will be.”"
That’s a great plan, Boone, but we’re honestly not sure how long it will last. Based on their regular season meetings, we would count on the friction between both clubs to reveal itself pretty early on.
The Yankees keeping a cool head should undoubtedly be the top priority, but all we ask is for somebody like Brett Gardner to bring his gripping passion to the series to give the team an edge. He’s the last player remaining from the 2009 World Series team, so somebody has to fill the void.
After all, there’s only so much trash talk Amber can do from her phone while echoing her husband’s famous quotes.
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