Earlier today I posted this quote from Torii Hunter:
“He gave him the plate. You can either slide there or take him out,” Hunter said. “I thought it was a little too early in the game to take him out. If he slides, he’s safe regardless. I guess he was on a mission.”Ervin Santana also wasn't too pleased:
“It was (upsetting). He can score easily. I don’t know,” Ervin Santana said. “Maybe he’s trying to hit us because I just hit him. The count was 1-1. I don’t mean to hit him.”While some Angels were clearly pissed, both managers, and both former catchers, didn't see anything wrong with the play.
“Your job as a catcher is to block the plate and try to keep the run from scoring,” Joe Girardi said. “Sometimes you get run over. I’ve had my nose broke, I’ve had my shoulder separated; it’s all part of the game as a catcher.”We saw this from Tex first hand when he leveled Jorge Posada in a game in the Bronx back in 2006, so this should be expected. As far as hurting Wilson, Tex showed remorse after the game:
“No doubt about it, Mark’s just trying to score,” Mike Scioscia said. “Clean play.”
“Bobby is a great kid,” Teixeira said. “Before the game, I told him, ‘Best of luck this year.’ I feel terrible that he got hurt, but it’s not about trying to hurt him; it’s about trying to knock the ball loose.”I don't like the fact that Wilson got hurt, but I like the fire we saw from Tex. It's good to see guys playing the game as hard as they can, even if there is a little anger involved. But what about you, what did you think of the play?
