Jim Leyritz wasn’t invited to Yankees Old-Timers’ Day, and judging by his reaction, he likely won’t be welcome in the Bronx anytime soon.
After the team announced its invite list for the June 17 ceremony, which includes newcomers like Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi, Nick Swisher and Aaron Boone, a fan said on Twitter: “No [Jim Leyritz]? I’m out.”
Leyritz responded by taking a shot at team president Randy Levine and senior vice president of marketing Debbie Tymon.
“Yes, it’s a joke already,” Leyritz said on Twitter. “Randy Levine and Debbie Tymon have said I didn’t do enough in Yankee history to be invited. How many sliders did they hit? LOL.”
That’s a reference to the hanging slider Leyritz hit for a game-tying homer off Mark Wohlers in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series against Atlanta.
Leyritz then liked a tweet that said: “The only slider Randy Levine has hit is of the cheeseburger variety. If the guy [wasn’t] literally in bed [with] ownership for decades, the team would take [the] pulse from the fan base on what we thought of Randy Levine. [It wouldn’t] be positive.”
The Yankees strongly denied Leyritz’s accusations.
“It’s disappointing that Jim has entered this arena the way that he has,” the team said in a statement. “This tweet is baseless and categorically false. Frankly, he should be thankful for his ties to this organization.”
A spokesman also said Levine is not involved in coming up with the invitation list to any alumni events.
Leyritz was last involved in a team function two years ago, when the Yankees commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 1996 team. This year, they’re doing the same thing for the 1998 team, as well as the 1978 team’s 40th.
Leyritz, who spent parts of nine seasons with the Yankees, isn’t the first well-known former player to draw the ire of team brass.
Goose Gossage, once a fixture at spring training and Old-Timers’ Day, has found himself on the outside after repeatedly criticizing Yankees management, including GM Brian Cashman.