Yankees hoping schedule beef with ESPN resolves without boycott

ESPN upset the Yankees by picking up a July 8, 2018 (7/8/18) game against the Blue Jays in Toronto, Ont. for Sunday Night Baseball one day after a rainout led to a doubleheader being scheduled for July 9 (7/9/18) against the Orioles at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md.

DETROIT— Yankees player rep David Robertson isn’t looking for a compromise with ESPN and Major League Baseball in an unwanted schedule change that would force his club to play three games in 24 hours.

The reliever still wants the Yankees and Blue Jays’ game in Toronto on Sunday, July 8 to begin at its original start time, 1:07 p.m., instead of being switched to a nationally televised 8:05 p.m., game for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.

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“Personally, I would love the 1 o’clock,” Robertson said Monday. “It worked out well. That’s why it was scheduled there and I feel like we’ve been mistreated a little bit with the changing of the schedule.”

When the Yankees were rained out last Thursday in Baltimore, they were told they’d be making it up in a straight doubleheader on Monday, July 9, which is the first day of their next series there.

A day later, the Yanks were informed that ESPN had decided to pick up their July 8 game, which forces them into a three-games-in-24-hours situation.

“I feel like that’s too tough of a schedule for us,” Robertson said. “We deal with a lot of those (Sunday Night Baseball) games … but this time I would like to see it changed.

“My biggest concern is player health. That’s a really tough schedule. We’ve had a tough schedule so far with a lot of rainouts and a lot of games that are made up later on.

“Hopefully at some point (the July 8) game could be changed. That would probably be in our best benefit. We just have a lot of games going there in a quick amount of time.”

A report by USA Today stated the Yankees are threatening not to do interviews with ESPN if their July 8 game stays a night game.

“I don’t think we’ve gotten that far,” Robertson said. “We’ve had some internal discussions about what we could do potentially, but let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point. We’d like to see it get changed without any big ruckus getting started.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, an ESPN Sunday Night Broadcaster last year, expressed his displeasure with the decision over the weekend and on Monday said, “I stand by that.”

USA Today reported that MLB, the union and ESPN “are in negotiations to reschedule” the Yankees’ July 8 game.

Robertson says there’s a simple solution.

“Other teams are playing,” he said.

It’s a Sunday, so all 30 clubs are scheduled to play. The best game of the day on paper is the Los Angeles Angels playing the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Others involving two potential contenders are the Colorado Rockies at Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves at Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies at Pittsburgh Pirates.

Robertson figures it’ll be at least a few days before the issue gets resolved one way or the other because Monday was the first day of the draft, which runs through Wednesday.

“I know obviously (commissioner) Rob Manfred has a lot on the plate with the draft going on and a lot of things are happening,” Robertson said. “There’s a lot of time between now and (July 8).

“Obviously once the draft clears over and is finished, there will be some discussions made from people above me and hopefully this whole doubleheader and night-game getaway into it gets smoothed over and another situation is found. I know there are other alternatives out there, other games that could be played.”

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.