The New York Yankees continue to battle for positioning atop the American League playoff picture, and with Aaron Judge sidelined, several veterans have been asked to shoulder a larger share of the offensive burden.
One of those players has been Cody Bellinger, who has emerged as a key contributor during New York’s recent stretch. That increased visibility has also made him a more obvious target for those who might be looking to get under his skin with taunts.
New York Yankees Superstar Cody Bellinger Responds To ‘Sexual’ Taunt From Rival Crowd
During the Yankees’ recent series in Cleveland, Bellinger was on the receiving end of some particularly unusual heckling from fans in the seats at Progressive Field.
“The Cleveland crowd booed throughout the series,” Gary Phillips noted for the New York Daily News. “But Cody Bellinger found himself the subject of some more targeted — if comically inaccurate — jeers in Wednesday’s game. That’s because professional heckler Trevor Gilmore — yes, you read that right — and his crew of taunting fans commandeered a section of the left field bleachers at Progressive.”
Gilmore, who makes a business out of his quirky baseball stadium taunts by posting on social media, shared the nature of the jeers that were sent Bellinger’s way in that game.
“I told him that I heard his Chia Pet had alopecia and that he brightens a room every time he leaves,” Gilmore told Phillips. “I heard that his first dance with his mother at his wedding was oddly sexual.”
And, rather than becoming frustrated, Bellinger evidently appeared to appreciate the creativity of Gilmore’s work.
“I thought it was funny, honestly,” Bellinger said after New York’s victory in the series, per Phillips. “They had some good, funny chirps. They had some unique lines, just talking about random stuff.”
New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr Admits Poor Response To Cleveland Guardians Chants
The comments might have been appreciated by Bellinger, but they came shortly after his teammate Jazz Chilsholm Jr. had a more frustrated response to authentic jeers from the Guardians’ stands.
“The flashy second baseman quieted chants of ‘overrated’ in Cleveland with a home run in the eighth inning that sent the New York Yankees to a 3-2 victory over the Guardians on Tuesday night,” the Associated Press reported. “Chisholm acknowledged the chants got him a little too riled up in the fifth, when he overswung at a couple of pitches and struck out.”
For Bellinger, at least, a creative exchange with some professional hecklers was more welcomed. And his response suggested that he sees the entire episode as part of the entertainment that comes with playing meaningful games in a sport that commands wide attention.