Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins responds to accusation of making "false claims" about father's time with Yankees
Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins had some explaining to do Wednesday, . Dobbins created a stir over the weekend when he made his dislike of the Yankees organization crystal clear, which included an anecdote about his father's brief career with New York.
But Joel Sherman of the New York Post did a little digging, and uncovered that Dobbins' father, Lance, never actually had a career with the Yankees. Sherman accused the Red Sox rookie pitcher of making "false claims" about his pop, which had Dobbins clearing the air at Fenway Park ahead of Wednesday's finale against the Tampa Bay Rays.
"The whole backstory, it was stuff I heard growing up, seeing pictures from my dad," Dobbins said, adding it was his father who got him to love baseball. "At the end of the day, I don't fact-check my dad or anything like that."
The 25-year-old Dobbins hasn't yet touched base with his dad on the subject. He said his focus is on his next start, which will be Saturday at Fenway Park against -- you guessed it -- the New York Yankees.
"My whole focus is on Saturday; my first time in the big leagues facing a team for a second time, let alone back to back," said Dobbins. "I imagine [my dad and I will] talk in the future. It's been made a bigger deal than it needs to be."
You never know what's going to pop up in the famous Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. While the drama is usually on the diamond, this strange chapter is playing out on the Dobbins family tree.
Why Hunter Dobbins doesn't like the Yankees
Dobbins grew up a Red Sox fan, so his disdain for the Yankees needs no explanation.
"My feelings are based off my personal feelings," said the native Texan. "Nothing to do with growing up or family. It's a rivalry and we're just having fun."
Prior to his Sunday start against the Yankees in New York, he'd retire before donning pinstripes, even if the Yankees were the last team to offer him a contract. In the story, Dobbins said his father was drafted by the Yankees twice before he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He also said his dad was good friends with former Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, one of the few Yankees players the Dobbins family respects.
The Red Sox media guide does mention Lance Dobbins spending time with the Diamondbacks organization. But according to Sherman, the elder Dobbins was never drafted by the Yankees or a part of the franchise.
New York Post calls out Hunter Dobbins' claim
The New York media took umbrage with Dobbins' comments over the weekend, and Sherman looked into Lance's time with the Yankees. Sherman quickly found out that time did not exist.
"Dobbins' father, Lance, does not come up as a Yankee draft pick in any search of the team's selections on Baseball Reference from any single season," Sherman reported Tuesday. "Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who has been with the organization since the late 1980s, has no recollection of the Yankees drafting Lance Dobbins and said a check with the Yankees amateur department revealed no drafting of a Lance Dobbins."
When Sherman reached out to Pettitte, the former pitcher told him he and his family don't remember a Lance Dobbins, let alone being friends with him. The New York Post scribe also reached out to former Diamondbacks GM Joe Garagiola Jr. and former manager Buck Showalter, who had no memory of Lance Dobbins with the franchise. The Diamondbacks also didn't play ball until 1998.
Lance Dobbins has a page on Baseball Reference, but it only lists him pitching for two independent teams. Dobbins is listed as pitching for the Meridian Brakemen of the Big South League in 1996 and 1997, and the Ohio Valley Redcoats of the Frontier League in 1997. He has been a pitching coach/instructor since 2002, . But the profile only mentions him being a scout and draft consultant for the Tampa Bay Rays, and makes no mention of the Yankees or the Diamondbacks.
It sounds like Lance Dobbins did a little exaggerating when he told his son about his "professional" career. Fathers tend to embellish a bit when talking about the glory days of yesteryear with their kids, though a lot of times those tall tales can't be fact-checked.
Overall, Dobbins said Wednesday he isn't fazed by the media kerfuffle. In the end, he thinks it's a fun way to add a little more juice to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.
"It doesn't bother me. I love working with the media and everybody here. Everybody has been great. My focus is performing for the guys here, in the locker room and the fans of Boston," he said. "Something that's a few hours away, it doesn't faze me."
