Porcello Won't Reveal What Made Him Upset With Yankees' Headley
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry has lacked some serious fire for years now, but there was a little bit burning Tuesday night at Fenway Park.
Things got a little tense between the two teams in the top of the seventh, when Yankees third baseman Chase Headley was thrown out at third by an incredible throw by center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. as Headley tried to stretch a double into a triple. As Headley sat at third in disbelief, Boston starter Rick Porcello had some words for him from the mound. Headley shouted back, and both benches cleared as umpires stepped in to calm things down.
No punches were thrown, just some unkind words tossed in both directions.
Porcello wouldn't discuss the specifics of the exchange after the 5-3 Red Sox win, but replay showed him pointing to his eyes and then pointing down as he jawed at Headley. There's a good chance Porcello caught Headley (or thinks he caught Headley) trying to look at Sandy Leon's signs behind the plate, a big no-no when it comes to baseball's unwritten rules.
"It was one of those moments where I felt like I needed to say something and I did," Porcello told reporters after the win. "So it's between me and him. He knows what I said, and I'll leave it at that.
"That's baseball stuff. Happens down on the field and just going to let it stay there between me and Headley," he added.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi, a former catcher, chimed in after the game, saying he was told the dustup was over stolen signs.
"Joe can think whatever he wants to think," said Porcello. "It's between me and Chase Headley."
Headley didn't have much to say about the situation, either, but was glad to see a little fire injected into the somewhat dormant rivalry.
"I actually kind of enjoyed it, to be honest," said Headley, who had two of New York's seven hits against Porcello. "We haven't had one of those dustups with the Red Sox in a while, so it got me going a little bit."
The fiery Porcello was stellar once again for Boston, improving to 11-0 in his 12 starts at Fenway Park this season. He's won seven of his last eight starts overall, going eight or more innings in each of his last three outings.
With David Price struggling at the front of Boston's rotation, Porcello and his 15-3 record, and fire on the mound, have been the leader the staff has desperately needed in 2016.
