NEW YORK — The Reds completed their sweep of the Yankees in The Bronx Thursday afternoon, but it was the game before the game that captured fans' attention.
Pitcher Graham Ashcraft, who had gotten a win in New York earlier this week, also won a standoff against the Yankees' Ian Hamilton and Cody Poteet before first pitch Thursday.
Ashcraft and Carson Spiers — with some support from their teammates — stood at attention for more than five minutes after the anthem Thursday afternoon, waiting for their opponents to back down before Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman took the mound.
🚨Standoff Alert🚨 pic.twitter.com/iSAJWANzvA
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 4, 2024
Spiers eventually backed down, walking back to the dugout, but Ashcraft stood strong.
The Bally Sports broadcast showed crew chief Alan Porter calling for both sides to go back to their dugouts to no avail.
"Here comes Jonathan India to the circle, and they're not going. They're still standing on the drag," John Sadak said, narrating the action.
Some members of the Reds and Yankees had a standoff before the game today at Yankee Stadium.
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) July 4, 2024
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
Finally, Yankees manager Aaron Boone called for his players to end it.
Hamilton and Poteet walked off the field, leaving Ashcraft the victor. The entire Reds dugout celebrated the win with Ashcraft before going out and putting up eight runs in their third-straight win over the Yankees.
