Spring Training is a breeding ground for oddities ranging from strange causes of injuries to comedic strikeouts. The latter of the two happened Saturday in the Yankees vs. Pirates Grapefruit League matchup.
Yanks' right hander Darren O'Day garnered plenty of laughs on Twitter with Tony Wolters in the batter's box. On a 2-2 count in the pitch not only caused a strikeout, but also got him a HBP as the ball slammed the unlucky Wolters just below the belt.
Darren O'Day fools Tony Wolters so bad that Wolters gets hit while striking out. #Yankees #Pirates pic.twitter.com/Jgo9aICtIW
— Justin Groc (@jgroc) March 13, 2021
O'Day wasn't quick to join in on the laughter, giving his opponent a hint of credit when discussing the viral moment after the eventual 7-5 win for his team.
"I was happy because I got the strikeout and for a second I thought he was going to call a dead ball," O'Day said, per NJ.com. "I didn't know if the umpire saw it. But it's a hard game, it really is. So I'm not going to sit there and gloat about it or anything."
While the lol-light was novel for some, it was something that New York manager Aaron Boone had seen before during his playing days against an eventual Yankee in CC Sabathia.
"I think CC (Sabathia) got me that way one time," Boone said. "When you're a good pitcher and you have a unique angle like that, you get some funny swings. ... Sometimes when you have a good stuff and it's a unique angle, you can have a funny one from time to time."
