FORT MYERS, Fla. — Bobby Valentine has only been wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform for about two weeks and he’s already taking a few jabs at the archrival New York Yankees.
In one fell swoop on Tuesday, Valentine said Derek Jeter didn’t need to make the flip-to-home relay that stands as one of the most celebrated plays in Yankees lore and fondly recalled when retired catcher Jason Varitek “beat up Alex” Rodriguez.
The Sox were working on relay throws on Tuesday and Valentine was asked about the famous relay in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS between the Yankees and Athletics.
Down 2-0 in the series and with a 1-0 lead in the seventh, Yankees right fielder Shane Spencer missed the cutoff man on a double. That’s when Jeter came out of nowhere to grab the overthrow in foul territory near the first baseline and flipped the ball home to get Jeremy Giambi.
The Yankees won the game, and series.
“We’ll never practice that,” Valentine said. “And I think (Jeter) was out of position and I think the ball gets (Giambi) out if he doesn’t touch it, personally.”
Most observers credit Jeter’s hustle with turning around the series. And several Yankees have said Jeter would practice that play in spring training, which drew a scoff from Valentine.
“That was amazing that he was there,” Valentine said. “Then it was more amazing to say they practiced it. I don’t believe it.”
Then, when asked to comment on Varitek’s 15 seasons in Boston and what he meant to the organization, Valentine used Varitek’s confrontation with Rodriguez in July 2004 to sum up his mentality and his demeanor.
After being hit by a pitch, Rodriguez started cursing at Bronson Arroyo and Varitek came to his pitcher’s defense by shoving his mitt into A-Rod’s face, sparking the benches to clear.
Valentine was nowhere near Fenway Park that day, but that didn’t stop him from giving the decision to Varitek.
“He is a man’s man,” Valentine said of Varitek. “He was a big hitter when needed. He was a leader of the pitching staff. He was able to beat up Alex. All that stuff is good stuff.”
Copy the Story Link
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.