Yankee Stadium has been called a lot of things since it opened in 2009, but a Little League park has never been one of them. That was until Sunday when Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward called it just that while discussing his displeasure with the Gleyber Torres home run that won the opening game of a Mother’s Day doubleheader with the New York Yankees.
Torres sent a shot to right field to give the Yankees a 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon.
“That’s a small ballpark. It’s an easy out in 99 percent of ballparks,” Woodward told reporters after the first game. “The wind wasn’t helping today, obviously, but 3-1 count…you put (John) King out there he’s not going to give up a homer. He just happened to hit it in a Little League ballpark to right field.”
"That's an easy out in 99% of ballparks. … He just happened to hit it in a Little League ballpark to right field."
Rangers manager Chris Woodward on Gleyber Torres' walk-off home run at Yankee Stadium 🍿 pic.twitter.com/DeHVAyPuM2
— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) May 8, 2022
The Yankees didn’t bite too much when they were asked about it following the conclusion of a long day at Yankee Stadium. Skipper Aaron Boone didn’t have much to say, but did joke that Woodward’s math was wrong in his comment, and Anthony Rizzo said he didn’t have a comment.
Torres, when asked about the comment told the media that both teams play in the same ballpark and it’s the same dimensions for both ballclubs.
“I think I feel good to hit walk-off homer in the little league ballpark and happy to win the first game,” Torres said. “I think the ego from people is too much sometimes. It is what it is. We won the first game.”
Chris Woodward shouldn’t be an unfamiliar name for New York baseball fans having played for one season with the New York Mets in 2005. He has been the Texas Rangers manager since 2019.
The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers will finish their three-game set on Monday in a contest that was originally scheduled for Saturday, but had to be rescheduled on account of inclement weather.
