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Yankees: Rays announcer refuses to apologize for Stanton-Judge injury wish in rude tweet

ByAdam Weinrib|
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 05: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees celebrates a grand slam home run against the New York Yankees during the ninth inning in Game One of the American League Division Series at PETCO Park on October 05, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 05: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees celebrates a grand slam home run against the New York Yankees during the ninth inning in Game One of the American League Division Series at PETCO Park on October 05, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Rays announcer Dave Wills thinks YOU should shut up about the time he said Yankees stars Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge should get injured.

You know, I wasn’t aware that the person being asked to apologize is allowed to tell you that no apology is necessary, but hey, 2020, right? Monday night’s ALDS Game 1 between the Yankees and Rays was must’ve been disorienting for the Tampa Bay broadcast team, though, so we understand if their spinning heads undid decades of morality education.

During the eighth inning of the contest, when it was still a frisky 4-3 ballgame, announcer Dave Wills expressed excitement about sidearmer Ryan Thompson getting Aaron Judge to bang into a double play.

Because it was a pivotal play in a close game? Well, not really.

Mostly because Judge, a behemoth, had been previously laid up in 2020 by recurring leg injuries, and might suffer one again if he were forced to run hard. Giancarlo Stanton, too! Hey, it could be a two-for-one deal of injuries, and wouldn’t that be neat for the “underdog” top seed in the entire league!

Wills was called out for his dangerous take on the situation after the Rays lost 9-3 propelled by a five-run ninth (oh no!), and he took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to declare how genuinely sorry you are for thinking his statements were worthy of an apology. What?

“Have never and will never wish injury on any player — except yesterday, when I said it would be good if it happened.” Fixed that for you, Dave!

This is the latest in a long line of actions by the Rays players and staff that seem to be intentionally undoing the sympathy they’ve accrued in going up against the should-be-Goliath Yankees.

Time and again, Tampa Bay has acted like there are different rules in place for them.

Aroldis Chapman sneaks 100 over Michael Brosseau’s head? Blasphemous. Kevin Cash threatens the Yankees with 98 MPH retaliation, and then John Curtiss does exactly that to Gio Urshela and Gleyber Torres in Game 1? Odd silence.

And now, we’ve got an announcer for the top seed in the American League acting as if physical harm to their opponent is the only way they could possibly hope to succeed.

At least these games are being played on neutral ground, where Clint Frazier’s moonshots can’t hit a metal ring, and nobody has to run on a ground-up mixture of corrugated cardboard and stingray teeth.

Can we, for once, settle this on the field? And while we try to do that, can America at least acknowledge that the Rays continue to “start it”?

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