"You hate Yankees because they beat down your dreams of winning" - Josh Donaldson slams Orioles fan accusing NY of 'chirping' at Brandon Hyde
The New York Yankees' series opener against division rivals, the Baltimore Orioles, on Friday made headlines after a controversial play. Yankees closer Clay Holmes drilled Heston Kjerstad in the head, leading to a wild bench-clearing brawl at Camden Yards.
Both bullpens joined the fracas as Orioles manager Brandon Hyde charged toward the Yankees dugout but was held back by catcher Austin Wells. Hyde was ejected from the game for his reaction.
While Holmes' pitch was way off the mark, Orioles fans alleged that Hyde's outburst was initiated because of the Yankees bench "chirping" at him after the hit-by-pitch incident.
Former All-Star and Yankees slugger Josh Donaldson came to his former team's defense and belittled the fan by reminding him of the Yankees' success against the Orioles over the years. The former MVP also predicted the Orioles losing their best players to big-market teams like the Yankees, Dodgers or Red Sox.
"No you hate the Yankees because year after year they have beat down your hopes and dreams of winning. First, by beating you on the field. Second, even if they have a down year they can go reload. Enjoy this little stretch your players will be a Yankee,Dodger,or Red Sox," Donaldson wrote in his tweet.
Donaldson, who didn't have the most memorable stint with the Yankees, retired in March this year. However, his latest riposte has made him a popular figure among Yankees fans on social media.
Brandon Hyde addresses his outburst against Yankees dugout
Earlier in the season, the Orioles pitching staff came under scrutiny after Yankees' Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres were struck on the hand in the series at Yankee Stadium.
However, Brandon Hyde didn't look too much into it, saying:
“Pitching in is a part of the game. Whether they’ve hit more guys than us is not something that I’m really concerned about right now. I want to win and what we’ve done is won, a lot.”
While Hyde appeared calm while talking to reporters on Sunday, the Orioles manager admitted to getting carried away by emotions after the rookie was hit on the head.
“I was emotional,” Hyde said. “My guy got hit in the head and I might have said some things that, at the time, I reacted to it.”
Herston Kjerstad has been placed on the seven-day concussion injured list after the rookie didn't feel up to the mark in the lead-up to the second game of the series.