ST. PETERSBURG -- Brad Boxberger would point to the competitor in him. It was his choice. Face the prodigious Gary Sanchez -- a player his own teammate compared to Babe Ruth -- or walk him with first base open and two outs to face Billy Butler, a player the Yankees picked up less than a week ago.
The righty reliever was given the choice during a mound visit from pitching coach Jim Hickey in a tied game in the seventh inning Tuesday. Boxberger's first pitch to Sanchez was a curveball right down the middle.