Brett Gardner
AP Photo/Fred Thornhill

New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner believes having an edge is important for the team in the midst of the dugout antics conversation.

On Saturday, the New York Yankees saw a number of their guys ejected in their 6-5 win over the Cleveland Indians. One of which was a player that wasn’t even on the field nor was saying anything—Brett Gardner.

Umpire Phil Cuzzi tossed Gardner for banging his bat on the roof of the dugout after manager Aaron Boone was ejected. Now, there’s a discussion about this. Are the dugout antics something that’s a problem and should be stopped? Should something like banging your bat even garner some sort of ejection or player-umpire altercation?

Garnder weighed in on this, per Dan Martin of the New York Post.

“For sure, there’s pride in us having that edge,” the veteran outfielder said. “I think that’s something that’s important for a group of guys to have.”

“To be successful, I don’t think you’ll find many — or any — teams that have had a great year and won a World Series that didn’t have that to them,” Gardner said. “If you look back last year at what the Red Sox did, they were the best team in the game all year long. And I wasn’t in their clubhouse, but I think people will probably tell you they had an edge to them. I think it’s important.”

A great piece written by ESNY’s James Kelly really touches upon this. The Yankees view Gardner’s antics as a way to energize the team, and as Gardner says, every successful team has an edge.

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Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.