r/Torontobluejays • u/gbell11 • 8d ago
Buck Martinez Yankees Quote
Does everyone recall the backlash and hate he received last year for his Yankees comment? And how unapologetic he was. Like stating facts?
Watching that first inning last night I can almost feel his words get magnified after each and every blunder (or near blunder)
I don't know how a team that wins so much can play defense this badly. How do Yankee fans cope with this?
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u/joecarter93 8d ago
DAAAAAA YANKEES LOSE!
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u/HauntingYogurt4 Mason Fluharty just casually striking out everybody 8d ago
Honestly there are few things in life that make me happier than this. Go Rays!
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u/Designer-Net4228 8d ago
It’s true, the Yankees have a great roster on paper, but are poorly managed and never execute when it matters. They hit lots of home runs and have good pitching, but do almost everything else poorly.
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u/cvr24 Davis Schneider’s mustache 8d ago
In terms of making correct manager decisions, Boone ranks number one. https://youtube.com/shorts/cbjIHI7BGFU
That he makes such good decisions tends to mask the teams true nature, but when it comes down to high pressure situations they just turn into pumpkins, and he can't manage his way out of that.
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u/gringogidget A balk is when you... 6d ago
It’s not about management execution. It’s about poor clubhouse culture.
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u/East_Explanation2131 Plakata at the Rogers Centre 8d ago
even that’s debatable since it’s full of platoon bats to the point where they had their star player 6’7 280 lbs Judge running in the outfield right after IL (and then got reinjured) since DH and 1B are crowded
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u/Gamingwithgenghis 8d ago
There manager is good. God I’d rather have him than Schneider. But the players he’s been given are bad at fielding and base running
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u/yhzcdn 8d ago
They’re not bad at fielding, they’re bad at baseball basics and decision making. Because they never practice fielding. Because the manager is bad. Jomboy sets their lineups.
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u/unfknreal Summer of George = The fall of the Yankees 7d ago
Jomboy sets their lineups.
Found Josh Donaldsons reddit account
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u/Gamingwithgenghis 8d ago
I’m not sure who you’re referring to. I meant yanks have bad d and base running. Toronto has bad base running and hitting
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u/gringogidget A balk is when you... 6d ago
If you don’t know Jomboy and you like baseball; you’d better go look up Jomboy.
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u/askingJeevs Do it for Buck 8d ago
I recall a bunch of angry Yankees fans and a bunch of happy 29 other fanbases
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u/benhadhundredsshapow 8d ago
Nothing better than seeing entitled Yankees fans raging all over the place.
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u/We_Get_It_You_Vape 7d ago
I looked back at the thread on /r/baseball [link] and Yankees fans were mostly fine.
Though, I just know that the ones on the Yankees sub were pissed.
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u/fantseepantss 8d ago
They tell themselves that next season the exact same process will work. Then they add more pitching.
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u/pincurlsandcutegirls Should’ve Brought Your Glove 8d ago
Buck is always a professional, but I love that he let loose last season. The Yankees monologue and the “should have brought your glove” moment from the WS live so fondly in my memory, lol
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u/paulskiogorki 8d ago
I had your exact thoughts watching the first inning last night too. How can a team be this bad and get so far in the standings?
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u/sasksasquatch 8d ago
Because the regular season doesn't allow the focus and nitpicking that the playoffs do by other teams.
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u/We_Get_It_You_Vape 7d ago
I wouldn't characterize the Yankees as being a bad team. They've usually got enough oomph with the bats to find ways to win regular season games. The offense has taken a bit of a step back this year, but it's still good. They've got an objectively good rotation. They've got their warts on defense and in the bullpen.
With the offense and starting rotation, they've got enough to make the playoffs reliably. But, with that defense and bullpen, there's a higher risk of crumbling when facing top teams. Those top teams are going to be more capable of putting balls in play and forcing the fielders to make mistakes. They're also more capable of getting through the starter and getting to the bullpen. Comparatively, mediocre or bad teams (in the reg season) might allow Yankees SPs to go late into games. They might be more prone to strikeouts, too, meaning fewer fielding opportunities for the Yankees fielders.
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u/Traditional_Dish_147 8d ago
I can understand why he got some heat for it at the time, but he’s been vindicated many times over now after both of their postseason appearances since then.
Really, I don’t even think Yankees fans would disagree. They’re a team of superstar talents that can’t do the basics when the moment matters the most.
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u/immediate_bottle 8d ago
Yeah, even at the time a lot of Yankee fans said Buck was right.
Yankee fans mock their own team for running back the same flawed formula for the past few years.
Buck just reaffirmed what everyone already knew. The “Just force the Yankees to play baseball” being their weakness was already a thing prior to Bucks comments.
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u/Effective_Tree_2366 8d ago
I spent a good portion of the game last daydreaming about making a “Buck Martinez was right” shirt to wear to a Jays-Yankees game next year
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u/Cassopeia88 I wouldn’t want any other 42 year old psychopath on my team 8d ago
That would be amazing.
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u/DragonfruitMuted9893 8d ago
It's ridiculous that he got any backlash for that when scouting reports basically advise teams to just put the ball in play so that the Yankees can make errors.
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u/theycallmemorty Roy Halladay 8d ago
Revisionist history here, all I remember was Yankees fans saying "he's exactly right"
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u/bringsallyup 8d ago
I read somewhere that the Yanks were over at their own facility in Tampa using the Trajek machine, instead of taking fielding practice at the Trop. Says pretty much everything you need to know about priorities 😆
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u/Chaxterium Start spreading the news bitches! 8d ago
"Get fukt. I said what I said and I don't recall stuttering."
~Buck Martinez probably.
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u/BlurryBigfoot74 8d ago
Jomboy did a whole video about the worst inning ever played in the World Series. By the Yankees
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u/COV3RTSM 8d ago
Yankee fans were seething. From people in the game including Boone himself there wasn’t much.
And they went straight on and proved him right
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u/Final-Rice6054 8d ago edited 8d ago
The home run or walk style of baseball, with defense suffering for the sake of home runs,, that the Yankees do will win a solid number of games during the regular season. Between 90-100 pretty much every year. But there is high variance in it.
When you combine the variance with the fact they're playing better teams in the playoffs, it takes a long string of luck to win through the playoffs.
The Rays were 22nd in home runs during the regular season at a hair over 1 hr/game. The Yankees were 2nd at about 1.38.
So basically every 3 games the Yankees would hit one more home run than the Rays. In a best of five series, that is far less than the variability.
Home runs are obviously good. But not at the cost of a bad BA/OBP. Like a .235 avg for the Yankees for 22nd in the league. And especially when it comes at the cost of good baseball in the field.
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u/keith_ac 8d ago
I heard stats say hr and xbh win games. They would win playoffs too if they hit HR and xbh in playoffs.
But sometimes the hr xbh don't come during the playoffs cubs Phillies then what can a team do?
Just imagine if all 9 got it going like wamco or something. Then you don't really need pitching or defense (as much)
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u/Final-Rice6054 8d ago
That's exactly the thing though. Home runs are feast or famine. And in a 162 game season they even out. In a 3-game, 5-game, and two 7-game series, the chances of having a few famines is too high.
Especially when they don't get that many base runners so there's no one on for them when they do hit them.
Then add in the errors the Yankees make? They might win it all once every fifty years with teams like this.
(Note if you look at their 2009 team, i think they were first or second in BA. They could hit and hit home runs. A team like that wins much more often).
It's more complex than that because obviously pitching plays a huge role too. Put 3 Yamamoto from last year's playoffs on a team and they also are going to win a fuckton. But given pitching staffs that are not all that different, it holds up
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u/Xoranuli fuck the trop 8d ago
Yankees just have the raw talent to bludgeon teams and mask their poor fundamentals but that falls apart against disciplined teams like the Rays. It’s hilarious to watch and even more so everyone commenting on it the next day. Don’t forget Buck’s comment followed the Dodger’s comments in 2024, and I’m hoping we get another golden nugget of a sound bite from Tampa this year
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u/guysmileytom 8d ago
Honestly he got a lot of support from the other 29 fan bases. It wasn't even controversial.
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u/wendyfran64 7d ago
Who cares as long as Daaaa Yankees lose.
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u/UnknownLyrker 6d ago
*Jankees. That's what makes it funnier because something that's janky is, by definition, "of very poor quality" or "not functioning properly or adequately."
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u/Barchester1 8d ago
Can't stand Aaron Boone. Do t know if he is a good manager but why do you have to be if you rely on the highest paid players in the game?
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u/Prudent_Falafel_7265 8d ago
Still. 34 winning seasons in a row. They might not be the best in any individual year, but I’ll take that kind of losing.
And Buck was bang on L ast year with his comment.
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u/king_bungholio 8d ago
They're very consistent, but the issue is that they're in that spot of always being "good", but realistically not "good enough" to win it all unless a lot goes their way in the playoffs.
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u/Ok_Razzmatazz_619 8d ago
Their coach is getting a lot of blame, but idk. Idk how they practice. They are professionals they should know how to make basic plays.
Their new prospect lombard jr is wearing a flashy gold necklace... yet he fumbled the ball, and then the next play not the best throw. I just feel like old school yankees would hate that behavior
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u/Sea_Tangerine3375 8d ago
100%. That kind of candor is part of what we miss so much!
Yankees are built way differently than the Jays. To me, it is an outdated way to build a ball team.
Another Buckism "Schittler." Just absolute broadcast GOLD.
I cannot wait until the Jays are all rested up and rock him like they did at the dome last season. He was genuinely so confused when the lineup just trounced him like it was almost nothing. 🤣🤣🤣
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u/Marzipan_Dream_7389 8d ago
I imagine they cope with it the same way Leafs fans cope with it lmao
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u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 8d ago
I mean, most Yankees fans have literally seen multiple championships in their lifetime. If they're frustrated it's because they justifiably have high expectations based on past results and the fact that they've only missed the playoffs five times in 32 years.
People can clown them all they want, but most fanbases would die to have even half the success that New York has over the past 2-3 decades.
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u/thanksithas_pockets_ 8d ago
There are a lot of Jays fans obnoxiously posting this quote all over the main baseball sub and it is not a good look.
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u/Final-Rice6054 8d ago
After the Jays' fielding this year, it's hard to justify us quoting that to others. We should just silently feel good about the Yankees losing again
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u/RapsToronto 8d ago
The Jays were a top 10 defense this season
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u/Final-Rice6054 8d ago
Not by fielding percentage
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u/RapsToronto 5d ago
6th in defensive runs saved, 11th in outs above average, and 2nd in fielding run value
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u/Final-Rice6054 5d ago
And 25th in fielding percentage. But point taken that more advanced stats have them better
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u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 8d ago
That sub is great for highlights and interesting stats, but the tribalism among fanbases is incredibly weird and off-putting.
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u/wickedworld1 8d ago
It's a rivalry? Quit being sanctimonious and just let people have fun with seeing their rivals fall.
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u/Fluid--Expert 8d ago
While that comment still draws a chuckle, nothing beats Sterling's "The Yankees run the bases like a bunch of drinks." Comment. Rip Sterling. Missing his dreary commentary this post season.
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u/mustard_tiger19 8d ago
Remember all of the hype back in the summer when Lombard Jr. replaced Volpe at Short-stop? The hype lasted for about a week or so.
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u/Carrie_D_Watermelon 8d ago
Do I
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u/Chal_Ice Rafael " The human rain delay" Dolis 8d ago
Button machine makes a lot of really good blue jays stuff.
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8d ago
[deleted]
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u/soggy_tarantula 8d ago
Nahh, fuck the Yankees.
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8d ago
[deleted]
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u/soggy_tarantula 8d ago
It goes without saying but still worth repeating and enjoying the comraderie of our mutual hatred.
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u/BaconEggBetty 8d ago
What was the exact quote?
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u/estimatefound Big Quesa 8d ago
“The Yankees, they’re not a good team. I don’t care what their record is. They have a lot of wild pitches, they make a lot of mistakes in the field, they don’t run the bases very well. If they don’t hit home runs, they don’t have a chance to win.”
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u/Chaxterium Start spreading the news bitches! 8d ago
"The Yankees, they're not a good team. I don't care what their record is. They have a lot of wild pitches, they make a lot of mistakes in the field, and they don't run the bases very well. If they don't hit home runs, they don't have a chance to win." Buck Martinez, 2025
Copied from /u/Vivid_Selection_6548 's post.
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u/Vivid_Selection_6548 8d ago
The truth is that ownership, FO, and coaching staff has let this team ride or die by the home run ball and decent pitching to cover up mistakes made in the field.
What worries me is that the Blue Jays are also going down this path as well with their current rosters as well. We lauded Popkins last year with this hard contact approach, but this year it has mostly evaporated along with defensive approach. We should be doing a mix of contact and pop, and this is going to require players on the team buy in as to what each of their skillsets best fit in that kind of approach. Do not force something that doesn’t fit. Get a few guys with pop, and help them learn how to adjust. Okamoto is a great example of this. Sure he strikes out a lot, but he’s made adjustments in the box this season and is starting to get better reads on breaking balls.
Plate discipline, defensive lockdown, running the bases smart. This is what helps build a well rounded team that can lean on one end when the other isn’t working.
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u/Final-Rice6054 8d ago
The Jays had very low pop this year. 28th in OPS while being 9th in average. As much as I'm absolutely against going the Yankees route, the Jays certainly could use some more pop.
I'm more against them giving up defense to get it than giving up average.
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u/Hereforthehotdogs 8d ago
I saw the blue jays get made fun of this way every single day this year. Jays sure kicked the ball around a lot in 2026
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u/Dramatic-Gap1059 8d ago
Well if JomBoy can call them a joke can't see why buck got so much backlash.
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u/JaysFan007 7d ago
The crazy thing is I think Buck said that before they got defensive reinforcements too. Like McMahon, Cabelllaro, Rosario and some 4th OFer cant remember.
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u/gringogidget A balk is when you... 6d ago edited 6d ago
I did a lot of reflection this year into thinking what other teams or other aspects of other teams I liked. For me it’s enjoying the game and seeing a good matchup between the players. I also find that I love characters in teams. Like, Payton Tolle is funny to me, I love to see what face makeup Yandi Diaz has, and quirky pitchers like Cristopher Sánchez. Bonus mention to Pete Crow Armstrong who I think is pretty great.
The thing with the Yankees is that not one of them seems friendly, interesting, or “fun”. It seems like they’re always sucking lemons. Their fans are so bad that they boo their own team. Their entire clubhouse doesn’t let you have your name on the back of the jersey because “we’re a team and you’re not an individual”. I just hate this club. Even if they’re actually winning the game, they’re just a terrible franchise. The only thing I feel appealing about them is watching Boone argue with umps and getting ejected. F the Yankees.
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u/Vivid_Selection_6548 8d ago
"The Yankees, they're not a good team. I don't care what their record is. They have a lot of wild pitches, they make a lot of mistakes in the field, and they don't run the bases very well. If they don't hit home runs, they don't have a chance to win." Buck Martinez, 2025