CHICAGO – Amir Garrett and Javier Báez added another chapter in their history against each other Monday when Báez taunted Garrett after his walk-off hit in the ninth inning.
The two players were at the center of a benches-clearing incident on May 1. Garrett struck out Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs took exception at how Garrett yelled from the mound. Báez and Garrett exchanged words before Báez hopped over the dugout railing and the benches cleared. Garrett was suspended five games afterward while Báez received a fine.
Social media reactions:Javier Báez has words for Amir Garrett after walk-off hit in ninth
On Monday, Báez said something to Garrett as he stepped into the batter’s box. He hit a walk-off single to center on the first pitch, then mocked Garrett's broom sweeping celebration from when the Reds swept the Cubs earlier this month. Báez shouted at Garrett and tossed his bat onto the infield grass before he was mobbed by his teammates for his game-winning hit.
“Actually, I like the intensity,” Garrett told reporters from The Enquirer and MLB.com before Tuesday’s game. “I’m all for the (trash)-talking and stuff like that. That’s 100% fine. But my whole thing with the Cubs, I remember Javy saying I need to react toward my team more than them. Last night was directed towards me, which is fine, but whatever you preach, you should stand on that, you know what I mean? He didn’t. That was fine.”
Garrett chatted with an umpire as he walked off the field but didn’t have a confrontation with Báez on the field. He appeared to say something from the top step of the dugout as the Cubs walked off the field.
“I didn’t react,” Garrett said. “(Báez) should actually thank me for not reacting because the past situations we’ve had with me and Nick (Castellanos), we’ve gotten suspended from the other team reacting. He should thank me because I didn’t react. We would have both got fined and got suspended and hurt our teammates. I wasn’t going to react. He got me. That’s all it was. He hit a nice, little pop-up to center. It was a walk-off, good for him.
“We’re focused on winning ballgames. We’re going to play our best to keep them in fourth place and I understand that every little thing gets them excited right now because they’re in the trenches right now. We just have to come back today and beat them. That’s the best revenge that we can get.”
Cubs manager David Ross told reporters before Tuesday’s game he heard from the league’s office and it was possible Báez could receive a suspension. Báez was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup because of a heel injury, the Cubs said.
Does Garrett hope Báez receives a suspension?
“I don’t really care what happens,” he said. “My whole thing is if they want to let the kids play, let everybody play. That’s where I’m at with it. Whatever they do, they do. I don’t care what they do. He can play. It’s no big deal for me.”
After the benches-clearing incident in May, Báez said Garrett was disrespectful to Rizzo and “if he doesn't respect the game and if doesn't respect us, then that's going to happen.” Báez wasn’t made available after Monday’s game.
“You just have to move past it because obviously I don’t want to get in trouble,” Garrett said. “I’m not going to react to it. I’m just going to be like, ‘all right, cool.’ But next time if I show some emotion, pump my fist or whatever, they can’t get upset about it. I’ve been in a headspace where I’ve been under control more. I just like to compete; that’s it.”
Garrett says he doesn’t have any bad blood with Báez. He says he wholeheartedly enjoys watching him play He thought the trash talk before the start of the at-bat was just an attempt to rattle him.
“I can’t give him anything in the moment like that,” Garrett said. “Even though he was yelling at me and stuff, he was trying to get me off my game. A lot of people play that psychological warfare. If you watch basketball, a lot of guys do that. Kevin Garnett used to do that when he talked mess. Draymond Green, those guys do that because it gets under people’s skin. I wasn’t going to let him get to me.
“I feel like they have more of a problem with me over there and that’s fine. I would too. I’m on the opposite team. I don’t hate him as a person. It’s just competitive battles. That’s all there is to it, man.”
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