Reds' Ashcraft sets 'tone' in long post-anthem stare-down with Yanks - ESPN

NEW YORK — Graham Ashcraft and the Cincinnati Reds won a stare-down with the New York Yankees even before finishing their three-game sweep.

When the national anthem ended ahead of Thursday's game, Ashcraft and fellow Reds pitcher Carson Spiers remained in front of the visitors dugout on the third-base side of Yankee Stadium while New York pitchers Ian Hamilton and Cody Poteet held out on the first-base side.

Their showdown extended for more than five minutes as players ignored gestures from the umpires instructing them to vacate the field so the game could begin. Ashcraft won the battle, pumping a fist and getting high-fives and cheers from teammates when he outlasted his Yankees counterparts before the Reds' 8-4 win Thursday.

«That also set the tone,» said Spencer Steer, whose three-run homer in the fifth inning gave Cincinnati a 5-0 lead.

Never back down, never what? pic.twitter.com/gPE0YWf0CX

Steer praised Ashcraft, using the pitcher's given first name, Douglas.

«That was pretty awesome of Doug just to kind of win that one for us and kind of give us a little edge before the first pitch,» Steer said.

All four players ignored plate umpire Alan Porter, who made a shooing motion with both hands. Porter then dispatched third-base umpire Jim Wolf to urge them off the field.

"Lucas Sims didn't have a hat out there, so he took my hat, didn't want to be standing there without a hat on the Fourth of July," Spiers said, referring to another Reds pitcher. «So me being a rookie, I was standing there without a hat, whatever, looking dumb. And then, as the thing was ending, Sims was like: 'Spiers, you got to stay here until the last one.' So I was like, all right, whatever. I'll stay. Sure enough, their guys stayed, too. So I was