While Adam Wainwright stated that he grooved a couple fastballs for Derek Jeter after his outing in the All-Star Game, he took to television to recant in the bottom of the eighth inning. He appeared to blame what he said, how he said it, and his sense of humor for the miscommunication. He pointed to his noted sense of competition as a reason that he wouldn't "intentionally give up hits out."
Adam Wainwright is sorry for saying he grooved a pitch to Derek Jeter
It was just a miscommunication, you see.
Elsa
Wainwright continued that he didn't want to draw attention away from Jeter, and that he "didn't want to be a distraction." When FOX Sports' Erin Andrews asked "Don't you love social media?" Wainwright replied, "No I don't love social media." Wainright gave up three runs on three hits in his one inning of work, including a home run to Miguel Cabrera.
In his post-game press conference, Jeter expressed appreciation for Wainwright’s clarification, saying that his willingness to clear everything up shows that he is a class act. Asked what he was thrown by Wainwright, Jeter mentioned that the first pitch was “clearly not grooved” what with it being a ball. He continued on saying he didn’t know what the pitch was but was tongue-in-cheek saying
“If he grooved it, thank you. You’ve still gotta hit it. I appreciate it if that’s what he did. Thank you.”
Jeter was complimentary of everyone he was asked about throughout the press conference, most notably Wainwright, and All-Star Game MVP Mike Trout.
Wainwright was even more conciliatory after the game.
“I was intentionally trying to throw strikes to get him out. ‘Piping one’ was the wrong phrase to use,” Wainwright clarified, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “I’m an idiot. ... I messed up but I didn’t try to give up a hit. I didn’t mess up that way. I messed up in the way I spoke”
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