Before the first pitch was thrown in the Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Yankees matchup on Thursday, competition was already brewing. Graham Ashcraft was locked in a staring contest he refused to lose.
Next to him was rookie Carson Spiers and opposing them were Yankees pitchers Ian Hamilton and Cody Poteet. After over five minutes, the New York pitchers walked off as Ashcraft and Spiers were declared victorious. Since Thursday was an off day for him, Ashcraft didn't mind ignoring the umpire's signals, via the Associated Press.
“We saw they weren't moving and one of the guys told Carson to stay, and I was like, ‘I'm staying with you because I'm not moving,'” Ashcraft said. “I ain't got nothing to do today, I'm staying until I win or I get ejected or both.”
Never back down, never what?
Spiers ended up leaving the field before Ashcraft. Being a rookie on a $740,000 salary, he called the move a, ‘business decision.' However, the only reason Spiers found himself on the field in the first place is because his teammate Lucas Sims didn't have a hat. Spiers let Sims borrow his. But in return, Spiers' teammate goaded him into staying on the field as long as he could.
“Sims was like, ‘Spiers, you got to stay here until the last one.' So I was like alright, whatever. I'll stay. Sure enough, their guys stayed, too. So I was like, ‘Oh God, here I go. Like, I'm in it for a long time. And I saw Graham kind of slide over with me, and from there it was the long haul.”
The pre-game standoff wasn't the only victory Cincinnati came with on Thursday as the Reds earned an 8-4 win, sweeping the three-game series. Spencer Steer, who had a three-run home run, credited Ashcraft (using his given first name of Douglas) for helping set the tone.
“That was pretty awesome of Doug just to kind of win that one for us and kind of give us a little edge before first pitch,” Steer said.
The Reds celebrated the Fourth of July in style, with two wins on the diamond. Graham Ashcraft and company will be hoping to carry that momentum over into their next series against the Detroit Tigers.
Graham Ashcraft, Reds eyeing playoffs
With their three wins over the Yankees, Cincinnati moved to 42-45 on the season. They sit 9.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and 3.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. If the Reds want to make the postseason, they'll need to continue stringing together series wins.
Graham Ashcraft has struggled to find his footing in helping Cincinnati achieve their goal. He holds a 5-4 record with a 5.45 ERA and a 55/24 K/BB ratio over his 14 starts. His last performance against the Yankees did seem to be a step in the right direction however, as Ashcraft pitched five innings of three-run ball in a 5-4 victory. He struck out three and walked two.
The Reds will be hoping Ashcraft continues improving every time he steps on the mound. But if Cincinnati ever finds themselves in a stare down, they know exactly who to call.
