Nope, it wasn’t one of the Tampa Bay Rays’ top young players in Wander Franco and Randy Arozarena. Not former Yankee Corey Kluber. Not even loudmouth Kevin Kiermaier! Somehow, it was infielder Taylor Walls deciding to call out the New York Yankees during the weekend four-game set.
What even is trash talk anymore? Just anyone and everyone piling on a player/team/organization they don’t like or feel they’re overshadowed by? That’s sure what it feels like because nowadays below-average players have a platform to say what they want despite seemingly not possessing the necessary accomplishments to do so.
Following the Yankees’ 7-2 victory over the Rays in Thursday’s series opener, Walls, acting as if Tampa had been written off by the national media for the remainder of the year after the defeat, decided to make it publicly known that the Yankees are a “very beatable” team and that the Rays are “going to be here all year.”
Yes, Taylor. The Yankees are beatable! They’ve lost 13 games! The best of the MLB’s best lose 60+ games every year. And your team has famously punked them in 2020 and 2021. Additionally, everyone knows you’ll be here all year. It’s your job and it’s the baseball season.
Sorry if you’re feeling low about your game-changing error or the fact your team got no-hit this year after pathetically trying to interrupt Angels’ Reid Detmers from putting the nail in your coffin, Taylor, but what actually prompted you to say this?
The Yankees simply won a baseball game against you with their best pitcher on the mound and it birthed a response that seemed unreasonably defensive.
Rays infielder Taylor Walls had something to say about the Yankees … but why?
Walls has 92 games of MLB experience dating back to last year. He’s hitting .185 with a 64 OPS+ for his career and has made 12 total errors at three different positions. The Yankees and their fans don’t even think about this guy and didn’t even really consider magnifying his struggles until … right about now.
Why even briefly think about giving the Yankees and their fans bulletin board material to bury you with? Usually, it’s the Yankees’ ill-timed trash talk or cocky actions that do them in, but 2022 has been an entirely different story.
https://twitter.com/Yankeelibrarian/status/1530201970992197632?s=20&t=0CcdwC07hDxpUY8IJJjKRg
The Yankees have a .711 winning percentage. The Rays just lost 7-2 to them. They were down 7-0 heading into the ninth and scored two garbage runs to make it look better than it actually was. A good win for New York? Yup! Nonetheless, it was one baseball game.
Walls feeling the need to make the world remember that these teams play 19 times per year and that Tampa is here to stay is an empty preemptive response that tremendously lacks awareness. And now the Yankees will be playing with house money since Walls made it evident they’re in his head for no apparent reason other than winning one game out of 162.
Rays trying to turn Reid Detmers’ no-hitter into a farce was pure evil
The Tampa Bay Rays trying to ruin LA Angels LHP Reid Detmers' no-hitter in the ninth by putting Brett Phillips in was far more evil than a bunt attempt.