Yahoo Sports Reggie Jackson apologizes to Giancarlo Stanton for joking about Stanton's injury
Here’s a tip for New York Yankees Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson: If you call into a radio show, you should always assume you’re on the radio. Jackson made that mistake Sunday, and nearly alienated one of the Yankees’ best players in the process.
Jackson made a joke about Giancarlo Stanton while appearing on MLB Network radio. Problem is, Jackson didn’t realize he was on the air.
When Jackson was asked about Stanton missing Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, Jackson responded by saying, “[Expletive], he’s been out all [bleeping] year! How the [expletive] could he be hurt?” according to NJ.com.
After a short silence, Jackson asked if he was on the air. He was.
Once the interview ended, Jackson ran damage control. He immediately informed the Yankees and spoke directly to Stanton. Jackson said he was trying to jokingly respond to the question. Jackson also said he expected host Jim Bowden to tell Jackson they were officially on the radio. Jackson was caught off guard when Bowden launched directly into the interview.
Clearer heads prevailed as Stanton accepted the apology. Jackson — who is currently a special adviser to the Yankees — avoided a potentially awkward situation.
Stanton missed Game 2 of the ALCS due to a quad issue. He played in just 18 regular-season games due to various injuries. Stanton is not in the Yankees’ starting lineup for Game 3 because of the injury.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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