Latest news with #LanceDobbins
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Red Sox rookie Hunter Dobbins on false claims: 'I don't go and fact-check my dad'
Red Sox rookie Hunter Dobbins on false claims: 'I don't go and fact-check my dad' Show Caption Hide Caption CC Sabathia on entering the Hall of Fame and wearing a Yankees cap on his plaque CC Sabathia will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame this July and tells USA TODAY Sports why his plaque will feature him wearing a Yankees cap. Sports Seriously Boston Red Sox rookie pitcher Hunter Dobbins caused a stir when he expressed his dislike for the New York Yankees before pitching against them Sunday in the Bronx. Now he's having to explain his claim that his father had once played for New York and was friends with former Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte. A story in the Boston Herald on June 7 quoted Dobbins as saying his father, Lance Dobbins, had been drafted twice by the Yankees before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. But the New York Post reported Wednesday that it found no evidence that Lance Dobbins had ever played for the Yankees organization. Lance Dobbins does not appear as a Yankees draft pick for any season on Baseball Reference and according to the Post, longtime Yankees GM Brian Cashman has no recollection of the team ever drafting a Lance Dobbins. Lance Dobbins' Baseball Reference page only has stats from independent ball in 1996-97. Joe Garagiola Jr. and Buck Showalter, who were with the D'backs organization in 1996-97, told the Post they had no recollection of a Lance Dobbins in the system. And The Post reported that neither Pettitte nor his family remembers a Lance Dobbins. Hunter Dobbins addressed the Post's story on June 11. "The whole backstory is stuff I heard growing up and seen pictures of from my dad," Hunter Dobbins told reporters Wednesday. "At the end of my day, it's just from my dad and how I kind of grew my love for the game. But at the end of the day I don't go and fact-check my dad or anything like that." Before his start against the Yankees, Hunter Dobbins had told the Boston Herald that he would retire before playing for the Yankees. Aaron Judge, made aware of Dobbins' comments prior to the game during a pregame ESPN interview, crushed the first pitched he saw from Dobbins for a two-run home run, although the Red Sox went on to win 11-7 with Dobbins picking up the victory. The Yankees and Red Sox begin a three-game weekend series on June 13 at Fenway Park, with Dobbins scheduled to pitch the middle game.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
‘I don't go and fact check my dad': Hunter Dobbins addresses false Yankees claims
BOSTON — Last weekend in New York, rookie starter Hunter Dobbins added some fuel to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. Dobbins told the Boston Herald he would rather 'retire' than play for the Yankees, citing how his father, Lance, had been drafted twice by the Yankees and traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Dobbins' Texas Tech bio, as well as his bio in the Red Sox media guide make note of his father's career. Advertisement On Tuesday, the New York Post reported that Lance Dobbins had never played for either organization. On Wednesday, Dobbins addressed the story about his false claims. 'My feelings (on the Yankees) and all that, they're based off of my personal experiences and nothing to do with growing up or family,' Dobbins said. 'And also it's a rivalry, so we're just having some fun. Jazz (Chisholm Jr.) got into it too, and we had a good time about it. 'The whole backstory, stuff that I had heard growing up, and seen pictures from my dad — at the end of the day, it's just from my dad, and what kind of grew my love for the game. But at the end of the day, I don't go and fact check my dad or anything like that.' Hunter Dobbins isn't too concerned about a New York Post article 🤷♂️ "Doesn't faze me … my focus is [on] performing for the guys here in the locker room, for the fans." — NESN (@NESN) June 11, 2025 Dobbins said he wasn't surprised by the stir his comments made. 'Not really, this is a great rivalry,' he said. 'It's two cities that have a long history together. Anything that's kind of in the news that goes with both of them is going to turn into a story. It just adds to the game and we just have to embrace and kind of keep rolling.' The 25-year-old earned a win on Sunday against the Yankees, allowing three runs on four hits. He is scheduled to start against the Yankees again on Saturday when New York visits Boston. 'My focus has been on Saturday,' Dobbins said. 'This is my first time in the big leagues facing the same team a second time, let alone back to back. So that's where my focus is 100 percent.' Asked how much of a distraction this might have caused for himself, Dobbins didn't view it that way. 'Doesn't faze me, doesn't bother me,' he said. 'I love working with the media, everybody has been great. My focus has been performing for the locker room and the fans of Boston,' he said. 'Growing up watching those series you can't wait to be on the mound for it.' Dobbins has a 4.20 ERA in 10 games, including eight starts, this season for the Red Sox with 10 walks and 37 strikeouts.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins defends making discrepancies about his father playing for Yankees
BOSTON — Red Sox rookie Hunter Dobbins made some headlines prior to his first career start against the Yankees last week when he said he'd retire before pitching for New York. Now he's explaining why the claims he made about his father once playing for Boston's longtime rivals aren't the intentional fabrication that a New York Post report says they were. Hunter Dobbins said Wednesday he was made aware of the Post story, but said there is nothing nefarious about the connections he said his father had to the Yankees. 'My feelings and all that are based on my personal experiences and nothing to do with growing up or family,' Dobbins said. 'The whole backstory is stuff I heard growing up and seen pictures of from my dad. At the end of my day it's just from my dad and how I kind of grew my love for the game. But at the end of the day I don't go and fact-check my dad or anything like that.' In a June 7 Boston Herald feature on Dobbins that ran the day before he allowed three runs and four hits in five innings in an 11-7 win over the Yankees , he said that his father, Lance Dobbins, had been drafted twice by the Yankees before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The story also makes reference to Dobbins saying his father was friends with Andy Pettitte, who played 15 major league seasons with New York. But the Post report found no evidence of any of that, citing multiple official databases and the Yankees' own records that couldn't substantiate Lance Dobbins having played with the organizations. Lance Dobbins' own profile on the doesn't list any Yankees affiliation. The 2025 Red Sox Media Guide does mention him on Hunter Dobbins' biography page, but says only that Lance 'pitched for 2 seasons (1996-97) in the Diamondbacks organization.' Dobbins, who is scheduled to pitch again against the Yankees on Saturday at Fenway Park said he has since spoken to his father 'a little, but not really' about the Post story that first noted the discrepancies. 'My whole focus is on Saturday and getting ready to face the Yankees,' Dobbins said. 'This is my first time in the big leagues facing a team for a second time, let alone back-to-back. So that's where my focus is 100%. I imagine we'll talk in the future or something like that. But it's been a bigger deal than it ever really needed to be. But at the end of the day I really just need to get ready to go for Saturday' The 25-year-old is 3-1 with a 4.20 ERA this season. He said he isn't surprised that this story has gotten the attention it has in recent days. 'This is a great rivalry,' Dobbins said. 'Two cities that have a long history together. Anything that's kind of in the news that goes with both of them that's going to turn into a story. It adds to the game and we just have to embrace it and keep rolling.' ___ More AP baseball:
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins defends making discrepancies about his father playing for Yankees
BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox rookie Hunter Dobbins made some headlines prior to his first career start against the Yankees last week when he said he'd retire before pitching for New York. Now he's explaining why the claims he made about his father once playing for Boston's longtime rivals aren't the intentional fabrication that a New York Post report says they were. Hunter Dobbins said Wednesday he was made aware of the Post story, but said there is nothing nefarious about the connections he said his father had to the Yankees. 'My feelings and all that are based on my personal experiences and nothing to do with growing up or family,' Dobbins said. 'The whole backstory is stuff I heard growing up and seen pictures of from my dad. At the end of my day it's just from my dad and how I kind of grew my love for the game. But at the end of the day I don't go and fact-check my dad or anything like that.' In a June 7 Boston Herald feature on Dobbins that ran the day before he allowed three runs and four hits in five innings in an 11-7 win over the Yankees, he said that his father, Lance Dobbins, had been drafted twice by the Yankees before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The story also makes reference to Dobbins saying his father was friends with Andy Pettitte, who played 15 major league seasons with New York. But the Post report found no evidence of any of that, citing multiple official databases and the Yankees' own records that couldn't substantiate Lance Dobbins having played with the organizations. Lance Dobbins' own profile on the doesn't list any Yankees affiliation. The 2025 Red Sox Media Guide does mention him on Hunter Dobbins' biography page, but says only that Lance 'pitched for 2 seasons (1996-97) in the Diamondbacks organization.' Dobbins, who is scheduled to pitch again against the Yankees on Saturday at Fenway Park said he has since spoken to his father 'a little, but not really' about the Post story that first noted the discrepancies. 'My whole focus is on Saturday and getting ready to face the Yankees,' Dobbins said. 'This is my first time in the big leagues facing a team for a second time, let alone back-to-back. So that's where my focus is 100%. I imagine we'll talk in the future or something like that. But it's been a bigger deal than it ever really needed to be. But at the end of the day I really just need to get ready to go for Saturday' The 25-year-old is 3-1 with a 4.20 ERA this season. He said he isn't surprised that this story has gotten the attention it has in recent days. 'This is a great rivalry,' Dobbins said. 'Two cities that have a long history together. Anything that's kind of in the news that goes with both of them that's going to turn into a story. It adds to the game and we just have to embrace it and keep rolling.' ___ More AP baseball:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox RHP Hunter Dobbins addresses father's debunked Yankees claims: 'I don't go and fact-check my dad'
Hunter Dobbins inserted himself into the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry in a bizarre way this week. It did not work out for him. The Red Sox pitcher made his first start against the Yankees last weekend, but made more headlines with what he said going into the game. The right-hander, a Red Sox fan growing up, certainly said what his fanbase wanted to hear, claiming he would retire rather than sign a contract with the Yankees. But then he added a couple of other claims, via the Boston Herald. Advertisement Dobbins mentioned that his father, Lance Dobbins, was "really good friends" with Yankees great Andy Pettitte and actually had a short career with the team before becoming a diehard Sox fan: 'He was actually drafted twice by the Yankees,' his son said. 'Signed with them his last year and then he got traded over to the Diamondbacks.' That story went off the rails on Tuesday after some fact-checking by the New York Post's Joel Sherman. The Post could not verify any of Dobbins' claims, with no record of a draft pick under that name. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who has held the position since 1998 and has been with the team's front office since 1986, said he has no memory of drafting Lance Dobbins, and a check with the amateur department revealed no record of such a pick. Boston Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins was in some hot water this week over some claims he made about his dad's playing career. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) There does appear to be a Lance Dobbins who played professional baseball, but only in the independent leagues in 1996 and 1997, according to Baseball Reference. B-Ref's database of draft picks also contains nobody by the name of Lance Dobbins, and a scan through the website of Alabama baseball, where Dobbins claimed his father played before going pro, reveals no mention of a Dobbins since 1995. Advertisement With all of this flying around, Hunter spoke with the media Wednesday and didn't directly repudiate his father, but admitted he didn't quite double-check any claims either: 'The whole backstory is stuff that I had heard growing up and seeing pictures from my dad. At the end of the day, it's just from my dad and what I kind of grew my love for the game. At the end of the day I don't go and fact-check my dad or anything like that.' When asked about how the fallout of the Post's story affected him, Dobbins dismissed it: "Doesn't phase me. Doesn't bother me. I love working with the media and everybody here. Everybody's been great, so my focus is performing for the guys here in the locker room, for the fans of Boston. Something that's a few hours away doesn't phase me." While Dobbins said he doesn't mind what New York is saying, he is scheduled to make another start against the Yankees on Saturday, just one day before Father's Day. One other oddity of the story is that while Lance Dobbins' apparent narrative didn't hold up, there is record of a Chris Dobbins who was drafted by the Yankees in the 28th round of the 1999 MLB Draft, from a community college in Alabama (though not the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, as the Herald story indicated). It could be nothing given that Hunter didn't correct any part of the record Wednesday, but it's at least quite a coincidence. The Red Sox drafted the younger Dobbins out of Texas Tech in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut this year and holds a 4.20 ERA in 49 1/3 innings so far in his career.
