“I feel pretty bad to hit him, especially a guy like that, a nice guy.” -ANGELS SS ALFRED AMEZAGA
Jorge Posada was trying to break up a double play, but it was his nose that got broken by a low, sidearm relay from Alfredo Amezaga.
The Anaheim shortstop called the play unfortunate but clean. The Yanks wouldn’t call it dirty – but did label it reckless.
“He was kind of late for the slide. I wasn’t trying to hit him. That’s how infielders protect themselves,” Amezaga said.
“I feel pretty bad to hit him, especially a guy like that, a nice guy. I wasn’t trying to hit him. All I can say is I’m very sorry.”
The play happened in the second inning of last night’s 11-2 Yank loss, when Posada slid into second to break up a potential double-play off the bat of Hideki Matsui.
Amezaga’s sidearm throw hit Posada in the left shoulder and then the nose. The catcher lay prone on the ground for awhile, and was eventually taken via ambulance to Columbia-Presbyterian hospital, where he had his fractured nose set by Dr. Hector Rodriguez. He’s day-to-day.
“I talked to Bernie [Williams] to see how he was doing, and they said it was pretty bad,” Amezaga said. “After I heard that I got a real bad feeling.
“I want to talk to him but I don’t know how he’s going to react. I’ll say I’m very sorry. It would be good talking to him so he knows I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m still very upset.
“I was talking to Bernie and [Luis] Sojo and asked how Posada was doing. Bernie said he was going to be out for awhile, and after hearing that it came through your mind ‘What have I done?’
“I wasn’t trying to hit him. It’s the first time that’s happened to me, but I know with a hit like that it’s got to be pretty bad.”
Joe Torre said “I didn’t think he should’ve thrown underneath like that. I’m not saying he tried to hurt him, but I don’t think he needed to do it.”
GM Brian Cashman would not absolve the Angel shortstop, saying, “Nothing I can comment on. I’m not saying it was [dirty] and I’m not saying it wasn’t.”
Amezaga’s Yankee counterpart, Derek Jeter, disagreed with Amezaga’s assertion that all infielders throw sidearm to protect themselves.
“I don’t think he intended to hit him in the face. I don’t think he did it on purpose,” Jeter said, going on to stress that he himself would have thrown over the top in that dangerous situation.
Perhaps the most succinct comment came from reliever Paul Quantrill, who said, “It was an easy double play if he just throws it. I don’t know why he had to go down under. I didn’t see the replay, but I didn’t like it from what I saw.”
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Yankees medallions: Bernie Williams
Did you know?
* All-time leader in post-season home runs (19) and RBIs (66)
* Five-time American League All-Star (1997-2001) and winner of four Gold Gloves
* 1998 American League batting champion
* 1996 American League Championship Series MVP, including walk-off home run in Game 1
* Has five four-hit games and 16 multi-HR games
* Released “The Journey Within,” a jazz album of classical guitar pieces, in July, 2003
* Played Little League in Puerto Rico against Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez