Joe Maddon is less than thrilled at Rays fans cheering for Derek Jeter
Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon is not thrilled his team's fans gave New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter so much love this weekend.
The cheers in Tampa were especially loud Saturday night, when Jeter hit the go-ahead single in the top of the ninth inning to push the Yankees to a much-needed 3-2 win over their division rivals. The hooting and hollering in the stadium didn't sit well with Maddon.
Here's what he said after the game, according to NJ.com's Brendan Kuty:
"Yeah it's great," Maddon said. "It's great that it's sold out. And I understand that the people like Derek Jeter. But you've got to come out and root for the Rays, too, you understand. I mean, I totally understand what's going on. But I'm not going to sit here and defend all of that noise in the Yankees' favor in our ballpark. I'm not going to defend that. So we're going to come out and root for the Rays. We'd appreciate that."
As Kuty pointed out, it's not unusual for the Yankees — and especially their most visible star — to hear cheers in Tampa. Their spring-training complex is in the area, and many former New Yorkers live in the area. Jeter himself owns a home in nearby St. Petersburg.
Whatever the case, after the game, Jeter said it felt like "a home game."
The Yankees got a series win over the Rays on Sunday, as they captured a 4-2 victory in Tampa. They'll travel to Tampa one more time this season, during a three-game set from Sept. 15-17. The cheers will probably be a lot louder during Jeter's final appearance playing in the stadium.
-Brett LoGiurato
