The Cincinnati Reds not only finished a three-game sweep of the struggling New York Yankees in the Bronx on Thursday. Manager David Bell’s team also won the national anthem.
For five minutes before Thursday’s matinee, Reds pitchers Graham Ashcraft and Carson Spiers engaged in what has become known as a ‘anthem standoff’ with Yankees Ian Hamilton and Cody Poteet.
Essentially, it’s a game of chicken to see who can stay on the field the longest after the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner. A 2023 confrontation between Boston’s Kutter Crawford and Philadelphia’s Matt Strahm lasted so long that umpires ejected both players, who were later punished by the league.
However, despite the fact that Thursday’s standoff lasted five minutes, no one was ejected or fined. Instead, it simply ended when Yankees manager Aaron Boone, a former Reds third baseman, motioned for his team to return to the dugout as starting pitcher Marcus Stroman prepared to throw the game’s first pitch.
And, as Reds slugger Spencer Steer sees it, that led directly to another Cincinnati victory.
Some members of the Reds and Yankees had a standoff before the game today at Yankee Stadium.
Graham Ashcraft and Carson Spiers made things very interesting before there was even a pitch thrown in The Bronx.
And the result of the standoff? This One Belongs to the Reds! 😂👍 pic.twitter.com/DlnJdxdY4e
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) July 4, 2024
‘That also set the tone,’ added Steer, whose three-run homer in the fifth inning put Cincinnati up 5-0.
Steer complimented Ashcraft, using the pitcher’s given first name, Douglas.
‘That was pretty fantastic of Doug to win that one for us and give us a little edge before the first pitch,’ Steer said after the 8-4 victory.
All four players disregarded plate umpire Alan Porter, who made a shooing motion with both hands. Porter then dispatched third base umpire Jim Wolf to get them off the field.
‘Lucas Sims didn’t have a hat out there, so he stole my hat; I didn’t want to be standing there without a hat on the Fourth of July,’ Spiers added, referring to another Reds pitcher. ‘So, as a rookie, I was standing there without a cap, looking silly. And then, as the affair was coming to a finish, Sims said, ‘Spiers, you need to stay here till the final one.’ So I was like, well, whatever. I will stay. Sure enough, their guys stayed, too.
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