Derek Jeter HBP, benches clear against the Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The New York Yankees clubhouse was not a happy place to be Tuesday night. There was anger. There was aggravation. There was disappointment. On the surface, it was all about yet another Yankees player being hit by yet another Tampa Bay Rays pitcher. Derek Jeter taking one in the eighth inning made it five Yankees hit by a pitch in the past five games against the Rays. That, manager Joe Girardi said, is why he became so irate.

But it's impossible to ignore the bigger picture. This was the Yankees fifth loss in the past six games. They've scored a total of seven runs this road trip. Their playoff hopes have basically disappeared.

"I think our team as a whole is frustrated about a whole lot of stuff right now," pitcher David Phelps said. "You guys have been watching the last two, three weeks, what we've been doing. It's a frustrating game."

Before first pitch, the Rays honored Jeter with one of the nicer pregame ceremonies of the year. They showed a video, gave him gifts, and even suggested that he might become a Rays season-ticket holder one day. There's really no chance that some three hours later, a 26-year-old kid named Steve Geltz — from the state of New York, no less — was trying to drill Jeter with an 0-2 fastball in the eighth inning of a five-run game.

But the umpires issued a warning and Girardi came storming out of the Yankees dugout.

"I was totally caught off-guard," Geltz said. "I felt like he of all people should know — the guy has been around baseball forever — he should know that's not intentional. It's an 0-2 count. I'm trying to get him out. I'm not trying to hit him. That's Derek Jeter. I'm not trying to hit Jeter."

And no one in the Yankees clubhouse suggested he was trying to hit Jeter, but the pitch was up at the hands. Just last week, third baseman Chase Headley took one to the chin from a Rays reliever.

"I don't necessarily think there's any intent," Headley said. "But when you come inside, you have to be able to pitch there effectively. When you're hitting guys as consistently as we're being hit, there's a reason that we're frustrated about it. … You shouldn't be in the big leagues if you keep doing that consistently. Guys are throwing too hard, with too good of stuff. Granted, I know balls get away every now and then. I get it. But it can't keep happening. It can't keep happening. If a guy can't control the fastball, he can't pitch in there. He can't be in the game. He can't be in the big leagues because guys' careers are at stake."

The Yankees were upset about the warning because it took away their ability to police the game themselves. They were upset that another teammate had been hit, when just a few days ago Headley had blood coming out of his face. They came out of the dugout when Phelps went inside against Kevin Kiermaier, didn't hit him, and still got ejected.

One Yankees player was hit. Three Yankees were ejected. No Rays were hit. None were ejected.

"Five times in (five) games, we've been hit," Girardi said. "Twice in the elbow, once in the leg, once in the chin. A ball at Gardy's head last night. Another ball at Chase's ribs last night. I'm all for pitching inside, but you gotta know how to pitch inside because it's extremely dangerous. Chase Headley is lucky. He's lucky that he's OK. I don't know what they expect. You hit five of our guys in (five) games, you don't think we'll be pissed? … This is not practice. This is guys' livelihood."

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Other comments on the whole hit-by-pitch situation:

Joe Maddon: "I really don't blame the Yankees were being upset right there. We've hit a couple of their guys, obviously none of it intentional. It's called baseball. It happens once in a while, and it's nothing that we want to do. It's nothing to apologize for. It's just part of the game. I do understand their frustration with it and why they were upset. … We don't want to hit Derek. I'm so happy Headley's fine after getting grazed on the chin. I was very happy that he was back and playing again, but again, I understand the frustration. I get it totally."

Derek Jeter: "Yeah, well it's always frustrating anytime you get hit. You understand it's part of the game, but yeah there's frustrating when guys continually get hit. I'm sure there's frustration on their side. … I'm sure there's sensitive subjects here, especially considering what happened with Chase the other day, and we had a few guys get hit. So yeah, I'm sure there's a lot of frustration. They were frustrated when they almost got hit. So I'm sure there's frustration on both sides."

Joe Girardi: "They throw Phelpsie out, I don't understand that. I don't understand the warning. I don't understand what's the difference between the ball Yates threw that almost hit Murphy? There's no difference. You're playing judge, jury and God, talking about intent. Phelpsie hasn't pitched, what, once in a month? Once in six weeks? His command's not going to be very good."

David Phelps: "I mean, none of their guys got hit and I got thrown out. That's one frustrating thing. You guys saw my command the other night. I was missing to that side a lot. Just, a fastball got away from me. … I thought you had to hit somebody to get thrown out of the game. The pitch almost hits Murph there in the ninth, and play on. It is what it is. It's part of the game."

Jennings writes for the (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News, a Gannett property