Shawn Kelley took offense to Jose Bautista’s antics after hitting game-tying homer last night

By Bill BaerSep 19, 2014, 7:50 PM EDT
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Jose Bautista launched a game-tying two-run home run in the eighth inning of last night’s game at Yankee Stadium, but that wasn’t what had reliever Shawn Kelley steaming. Bautista apparently shouted expletives and slammed his bat on his way to first base as the ball made its way over the fence in left field.

Kelley explains, via Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal:

Bautista insists his behavior wasn’t directed at Kelley or the Yankees. Per MLB.com’s Jamal Collier:

The Yankees ended up walking off in the bottom of the ninth inning thanks to an Adam Lind fielding error.

If there were still any hurt feelings, it wasn’t evident early tonight. Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda pitched Bautista straight up, getting him to ground into a fielder’s choice in the first inning of tonight’s game.

Here’s video of Bautista’s game-tying homer from Thursday, though the alleged behavior isn’t shown:

[mlbvideo id=”36377951″ width=”600″ height=”336″ /]

The Yankees entered Friday night’s action a game ahead of the Blue Jays, but five games out of the second Wild Card with 10 games remaining.

Report: Some MLB teams using outside labs for COVID-19 testing

MLB COVID-19 testing
Jason Koerner/Getty Images
By Bill BaerJul 12, 2020, 9:29 PM EDT
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The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Zach Buchanan report that the Diamondbacks are one of several teams that have used labs other than the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory in Utah to process COVID-19 testing. MLB has encountered delays with its testing, despite promising 24-hour turnaround time, so teams have tried other avenues — with the league’s endorsement — in order to get faster results.

The SMRTL had processed performance-enhancing drug screenings for MLB. The league converted it to process COVID-19 tests amid concerns that having a season and all of the testing that would be required throughout would take away testing resources from the general public. That some teams are utilizing labs other than the SMRTL suggests the league, indeed, is usurping those resources.

In prospect Seth Beer’s case, he tested positive for COVID-19. He needed to test negative twice consecutively to be cleared to return to play. Beer went to a third-party site in the Phoenix area. He received his second negative test and was cleared to return on July 9.

The Diamondbacks said that the labs they have used have assured them that they are not taking away tests from the public. That seems like a claim MLB and the D-Backs should demonstrably prove. Per Rosenthal and Buchahan, the D-Backs have gone to an outside lab about 20 times, which accounts for less than one percent of COVID-19 tests taken by players and staff. Still, those are 20 tests that could have been used by the general public. And if the D-Backs and a handful of other teams already are using outside labs, then the rest of the league likely already is or soon will be doing the same. In the end, there will be a lot more than 20 tests taken at outside labs by MLB players and staff. Considering that “Tier 1” players will be tested every other day throughout the season, the total of third-party tests taken — if things continue the way they are now — could easily reach into the thousands by the end of October.

We all want baseball back, but the players, coaches, and all other staff are no more important than cashiers, teachers, and delivery drivers, so they shouldn’t have more access to COVID-19 testing simply by virtue of being associated with Major League Baseball and all of its influence and financial muscle. It would be unethical for MLB to be cutting in line ahead of other people who need testing just as much as if not more than the players.