National anthem standoff: Reds’ Graham Ashcraft wins July 4th battle against Yankees

Brad Penner/USA TODAY NETWORK

Graham Ashcraft now has two wins against the Yankees in three days.

The Fourth of July brought out the patriotism from the Reds and Yankees in New York.

After the pregame rendition of the “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Cincinnati’s Ashcraft and Carson Spiers remained out of the dugout on the field with their hats over heart. They were competing against New York’s Cody Poteet, Ian Hamilton and Luis Gil to see who would salute the flag the longest on the United States’ Independence Day.

The national anthem standoff lasted more than five minutes, according to Bally Sports Cincinnati’s Jim Day. Ashcraft wound up being the last player standing, winning the pregame battle in the Bronx.

Some members of the Reds and Yankees had a standoff before the game today at Yankee Stadium.

Graham Ashcraft and Carson Spiers made things very interesting before there was even a pitch thrown in The Bronx.

And the result of the standoff? This One Belongs to the Reds! 😂👍 pic.twitter.com/DlnJdxdY4e

— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) July 4, 2024Ashcraft pitched Tuesday and picked up the win on the mound against New York, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out three in the Reds’ 5-4 win.

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Umpires had warned the players to not let the standoff last too long. There have been players ejected for national anthem standoffs in the past.

Ultimately, Spiers left, as did Gil. Ashcraft wound up staying out long enough to beat Poteet and Hamilton, who ceded the victory to Ashcraft.

It is fitting that the Reds should wind up winning a national anthem standoff, particularly after last year’s proclamation that they were “America’s Team.”

“It was all of us. We all decided,” Jonathan India said in 2023 of the team’s decision to dub themselves “America’s Team,” according to MLB.com. “Luke Maile was saying it at first. And we came up today and said, ‘Hey, you know what? We’re “America’s Team.” Let’s run with that.’ We play the game the right way.”

Author(s)

Edward Sutelan is a content producer at The Sporting News.