Due to Hurricane Milton's damage to Tropicana Field, the Tampa Bay Rays are using George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees' spring training home, this season. Reliever Pete Fairbanks humorously suggested the possibility of finding hidden microphones, referencing the team's rivalry. As the Rays prepare to face the Yankees in the Bronx, this unexpected scenario adds a peculiar layer to their competition, showcasing the light-hearted banter amidst the underlying tension. Fairbanks' comments reflect the unique nature of their ongoing rivalry, blending rivalry with humor before facing a formidable opponent like Aaron Judge.
I think we did a full sweep, kind of like Man from U.N.C.L.E. style. We had to, like, buzz around, (go) around. And how many did we find? You know... anything we found, we'll just take on our plane when we head up to New York on Friday.
Fairbanks side-stepped the question if they actually found any bugs in the lockers, laundry bins, or perhaps hidden under a stray torpedo bat. But in a rivalry already full of tension, whispers, and weird moments, his deadpan delivery only adds to the theater.
The Rays are set to face the Yankees this weekend in the Bronx, so the timing of Fairbanks' jab couldn't have been better. One minute you're scouring lockers for bugs like a Cold War spy, the next you're flying to Yankee Stadium to face Aaron Judge.
It also adds a little spice to what's already a strange, made-for-TV wrinkle in the Yankees-Rays rivalry.
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