Kansas City Royals reliever Garrett refutes Baez’s claim he didn’t want to face him
Kansas City Royals reliever Amir Garrett knows he’ll get his chance to resume his rivalry with Javier Baez — a rivalry that started in the National League Central Division and has carried over to the American League Central.
That chance just wasn’t on Saturday.
Garrett, who the Royals acquired from the Cincinnati Reds during spring training, and the Detroit Tigers shortstop Baez have had multiple memorable altercations dating back as far as 2019 when Baez played for the Chicago Cubs.
They added a page, not a full chapter, on Saturday when Garrett celebrated an inning-ending strikeout of Tigers leadoff hitter Riley Greene in the sixth inning and then exchanged words with Baez on his way off the field.
“It was nothing really,” Garrett told the Star on Sunday morning. “I’d just seen him on deck and that was it. Just competing. Really nothing too much more to it. Guys just being guys, talking some mess on the field. Completely harmless.”
The two continued to shout at each other as Baez took the field the following inning. However, Garrett did not pitch the following inning when Baez came to the plate. Asked about potentially facing Garrett, Baez told reporters after Saturday’s game that Garrett “didn’t ask for it.”
Garrett, who pitched 2/3 innings with a walk and a strikeout and stranded two runners on base, responded to Baez’s assertion on Sunday.
“How would he know? I asked Skip to go out again,” Garrett said. “But at that time, we needed (me) to be up today. I’ve pitched a lot in the last few days. So we’re going to see them again. I’m going to see him again. It might not be today. You never know. I definitely asked for it, though.
“What do you want me to do? You going to tell my man, ‘Hey, I’m going to go out there again.’ You know what I mean? You just say yes or no. He made the decision and I was okay with it. I’ll see him again, so that’s not a big deal for me.”
Their previous interactions have included gestures made towards opposing dugouts, on-field celebrations at the other’s expense and the clearing of benches. Teammates have even had to get between the two.
On Saturday, Baez gestured to his crotch while yelling to Garrett, who was in the dugout. Television cameras caught Baez’s gesture.
Garrett, who has had one of the most viral baseball fights in recent history when he charged at the entire Pittsburgh Pirates dugout in 2019, said neither he nor Baez desired to turn their back and forth into anything that goes beyond a one-on-one matchup on the field.
“He doesn’t want that. I don’t want that,” Garrett said. “Taking it past the baseball thing, we can talk (stuff). We can talk mess. That’s fine and dandy. I’m not going to take it past there. I don’t want to get in trouble. I don’t want to lose money. I don’t want to get suspended. I don’t want that. Sometimes it gets heated out there. It’s a jungle out there, man. I enjoy it. I love it.”
Garrett expressed respect for Baez as a “pretty good player” and his “swagger” and “flare,” and Garrett said he likes competing against the best.
Garrett playing with fire
Royals manager Mike Matheny knew exactly what sort of intensity Garrett brings with him to the mound. Matheny noticed it from the first bullpen session Garrett threw after he joined the club in Arizona following the trade.
“This is the guy that we’ve seen all season, that was at a different level, more personal,” Matheny said. “But we anticipated that.”
As long as that emotion isn’t preventing a player from focusing on the next pitch, the task at hand or the next at-bat, Matheny isn’t bothered by his players showing a fiery demeanor.
“I love the competition and I love guys getting engrossed in how to compete,” Matheny said. “Everybody does it different. We’re just letting guys be themselves. I’ve never once said it’s a bad thing. It’s who he is and that’s what’s made him as successful as he has been. I believe there’s even more success for him. He’s going to have to continue to harness his competitiveness and use it as an asset.”
Garrett, who made his debut in 2017 and moved to the bullpen full-time in 2018, feels like needs the emotion to elevate his performance.
“I feel like when I get into that mode and I take it there, that’s when I’m at my best,” Garrett said. “I haven’t displayed that any this year. I’ve tried to calm it down a little bit, but you’ve got to be you.
“You’ve got to be what you are out there on the field. Sometimes I get into this competitive mode, and I enjoy it. I just like to compete. It’s always fun to compete when you’re doing well at times, in certain situations.”
Garrett said he made the conscious effort to tone down some of his emotion and demonstrative behavior on the mound because of some of the reactions he’s gotten in the past, including an incident last season while he was pitching for the Reds.
Garrett received a seven-game suspension (later reduced to five games) for his part in a benches-clearing altercation against the Chicago Cubs that also involved Baez. No punches were thrown. Garrett described it as a suspension for a “shouting match.
“I’d seen that’s not what they really wanted, so I had to tone it down for my own benefit,” Garrett said. “It is what it is. Sometimes it’s good to show that emotion, just compete how you want to compete.”
While Garrett knows he thrives off the emotion and energy of competition, MLB made it clear, at least in his mind, that that’s not what they want.
For Garrett, the back and forth isn’t something that carries over off the field. But the consequence such as fines, suspensions and missing games obviously does affect him and his team on the field.
He’s had varying levels of success trying to strike the right balance between being toned down and maintaining the edge he needs to be at his best.
“It’s been kind of hard because there’s some times when I want to be me and let it out, but I just couldn’t,” Garrett said. “(Saturday), I felt kind of like myself, a little swagger and stuff like that. I’m going to find that balance. Find that fire inside, but still go out there and do my job.”
Garrett attributed his reaction on Saturday more to competing with himself. He pointed to him walking batters and creating self-inflicted wounds, which he then has to work his way out of, as examples of him competing against himself.
On Saturday, Garrett entered the game with a man on with one out. He walked a batter with two outs to put the tying run in scoring position before he struck out their highly-touted rookie Greene, who hit the walk-off home run in the ninth.
“You put the guy on and it’s more so like, ‘Come on! Let’s go. Get your (stuff) together.’ More so for myself. When I do things like that, it’s not even like showing up the guy. It just comes out of you. Sometimes it’s uncontrollable.”
Garrett also insisted he wouldn’t want to show up a rookie like Greene who is just getting into the league.
It was really more about his performance in that situation at that moment, Garrett said. He knows his best performances come with a certain combustible quality.
“Hopefully, I can just keep the fire lit,” Garrett said.
