Lloyd McClendon ‘surprised’ by Kevin Long’s criticisms of Robinson Cano

On Sunday, Long lamented the fact he could never get Cano to hustle down the first base line on every play.

“If somebody told me I was a dog, I’d have to fix that,” Long stated. “When you choose not to, you leave yourself open to taking heat, and that’s your fault. For whatever reason, Robbie chose not to.”

Long went on to say that Cano would often come up with excuses for not running hard to first, but in Long’s eyes, “There was no acceptable answer.”

Asked about Long’s comments on Tuesday, McClendon said Long should keep his opinions to himself, believing that the Yankees hitting coach had overstepped his bounds in criticizing Cano:

In response, Long told ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand that there was no malicious meaning in his comments about Cano and he is not the spokesman for the Yankees.

Cano played nine seasons with the Yankees before signing a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Mariners this offseason. The second baseman debuted in 2005, finishing second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, and made five All-Star teams as a member of the Yankees. He batted .314/.383/.516 with 27 home runs and 107 RBI in 2013.

The 2014 season will be Long’s eighth as the Yankees’ hitting coach, with the team’s offense generally among the league’s best during his tenure with the club.

Following McClendon’s comments and Long’s subsequent apology, the issue appears to have blown over for the time being. The two teams will first meet during the 2014 season on April 29 when the Mariners travel to New York in what will be Cano’s first trip back to Yankee Stadium since signing with the Mariners.

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