Bryan Baker’s reactions at the end of games can look personal. The Rays closer comes off the mound with a burst of energy that can read like he’s got a specific target in mind, especially after some of last week’s finishes against the Yankees. But Baker says there’s no special treatment involved.
The Tampa Bay right-hander told Yanks Go Yard’s Adam Weinrib that he brings the same edge every time the game ends in his hands, no matter who’s standing in the other dugout.
“I think it feels good to beat anybody. I think almost any game I'm gonna be pretty fired up,” Baker told YGY.
“I think I'll be more fired up if the game ends on a strikeout. I think that's where you'll see some of those ... get to let out a little more emotion because you feel like you did something cooler to end the game.”
He doubled down on that idea, saying the opponent doesn’t change the way he approaches the moment.
“But yeah, I think I'm just as fired up about beating the Twins on a Tuesday night at the Trop as I would be in any other scenario. I think it's important to maintain that competitive edge and that's what I try to spread to my teammates. It's a long year, and every single game matters,” Baker concluded.
That tracks with the way Baker has been described: a bombastic presence on the mound, all fire after the final out, but mild-mannered and affable away from it. The contrast is part of what makes him stand out.
Baker also has a strange little bit of AL East history behind him. At last year’s trade deadline, the Orioles dealt him to the Rays, keeping him in the division. He joked then, “I can't seem to get out of the AL East,” and added, “I don't hate it.”
Now the situation has flipped. Tampa Bay sits in first place, with the Yankees hanging close after a late and surprising end-of-half split. And if Baker’s celebrations have looked pointed, his own words say otherwise: the energy is for everybody.
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