Many fans see baseball as a distraction. At its best case scenario, the sport injects excitement into the banality of everyday life. For others, however, the game can serve as a shield to the horrors of reality. On Monday, July 23rd, however, reality reared its ugly face in the form of Yankees fans complaining about Gary Sanchez.
Before moving forward, I want to stress that this article is not a defense of Sanchez’s performance that day against the Rays, nor a defense of the Yankees’ actions following the game. It’s about the fans’ reaction to what happened and a look at the perception of baseball as a whole.