The Toronto Blue Jays are in the middle of their best season in nearly a decade, as they are currently in the ALCS against the Seattle Mariners after handling the New York Yankees in a hard-fought ALDS clash. One of the players who starred in the Blue Jays' series triumph over the Yankees was rookie Trey Yesavage, who carved up New York in Game 2 of the ALDS, striking out 11 across 5.1 no-hit innings in what ended up being a 13-7 win for Toronto.
As is known by everyone in the baseball world, the Yankees have perhaps the biggest fanbase in MLB by virtue of being the most successful franchise in baseball history. In such a large group of fans, there are bound to be a few who tend to cross boundaries, and Yesavage was on the receiving end of such behavior after he dominated in a Blue Jays win in Game 2.
The 22-year-old starter, who's slated to go on the mound for the Blue Jays in Game 2 of their ALCS matchup against the Mariners, called on fans to stop harassing him and his family.
“Living in this world where there's so many different opinions and feelings which result in a lot of hate, it's sad to see that people close to me are being attacked for my performance on the field. These people have done nothing to warrant negativity from my actions. Whether that's my parents, my brothers, my girlfriend, family — it's just really sad,” Yesavage said, per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.
Trey Yesavage prepares to take the bump for the Blue Jays in ALCS Game 2
Yesavage's dominance against the Yankees should have been celebrated. Even the most passionate Yankees fan simply should have tipped their cap and acknowledged how incredible it was for someone as young as Yesavage to throw that kind of gem in the postseason.
Nonetheless, as Yesavage prepares to pitch the Blue Jays back into the series in Game 2 after suffering a 3-1 loss in Game 1 against the Mariners, he simply called on fans to direct everything towards him and spare his family from those unkind words.
“I know I have the platform to address it. So, I am. And I hope that people can realize that those individuals have nothing to do with what happens on the field. And if you have a problem, I'm a man. I can take whatever opinions anybody has about me and my life. So, I just wanted to get that out there,” Yesavage added.
