Yankees threatening ESPN boycott over schedule change
New York Yankees unhappy about start time change that will have them play three games in two different cities in 24 hours.
The New York Yankees are heading towards a confrontation with ESPN over a schedule change that will see them play three games in two cities over 24 hours in July.
The team is trying to get the network to change the time of their July 8 game in Toronto from 8 p.m. back to 1 p.m. That game was moved to primetime in order to be on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The Yankees have a doubleheader in Baltimore the next day.
If the network refuses to change the time, the Yankees are threatening to boycott ESPN reporters for the rest of the season.
“They’ll get no cooperation. No interviews. No features. Nothing. Zero,” a source close to the team told Newsday’s Erik Boland.
Yankees players voted to play the make-up game on July 9 after they were rained out in Baltimore on Thursday. At the time they did not know about the change in schedule. They are currently negotiating with Major League Baseball, the Player’s Association and the network to resolve the issue.
“The Commissioner’s Office is involved and communicating with the parties that are impacted,” the league said in a statement. ESPN has yet to comment.
ESPN has the right to flex a game to primetime under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. That doesn’t mean the teams have to be happy about it.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone believes the change isn’t good for the team or the fans. “Hopefully there is some pressure being applied because that is not good for the product on the field or the safety of our guys, having to go from night game, flight and right into a doubleheader. Anybody who would argue with that is not being truthful,” he said before Monday’s game in Detroit.
““Hopefully, it’s something that works itself out,” Boone added.
The Yankees and Boston Red Sox are currently in a tight race for the AL East lead. As of Monday, New York sits one game behind the Red Sox.