Jaso understands fan reaction, perceived lack of hustle 'not me'
Pirates first baseman John Jaso was awarded a double after a video replay in the fifth inning of Friday night's game against the Reds.
It broke an 0-for-20 skid at the plate and gave Jaso some confidence amid struggles the likes of which he said he previously hadn't been through in his career. Minutes later, he dashed home on a Jordy Mercer suicide squeeze to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Jaso said it was his first time experiencing a suicide squeeze on offense.
The PNC Park crowd cheered, a significant turnaround from when Jaso walked to the plate earlier in the inning. The first baseman received noticeable boos as he stepped to the plate, likely stemming from a play in a Thursday loss in Atlanta in which he did not leave the batter's box while the Braves turned a 3-6-3 double play to end the top of the seventh.
The play drew the ire of many Pirates fans on social media. After the game, Root Sports analyst Kent Tekulve lit into Jaso for a perceived lack of hustle.
“There should not be one person on this team who talks to John Jaso tonight,” Tekulve said on the network's post-game show, adding there was “no excuse” for Jaso not leaving the box.
Reflecting on the Friday night boos, Jaso said he took no issue with the fans at PNC Park, but with Tekulve's postgame comments.
“I'm not the kind of guy to hit a ball and then just stand there in the box and just be like, ‘Oh, screw it,' and just walk back the dugout. Of course that's not me,” Jaso said. “And I think that's one of the reasons that Pittsburgh went out and got me (in the offseason). It hurts when media or announcers that are supposed to be on the same side as you say negative stuff at you and attack your character. That is tough to deal with, but as far as fans go and booing, I know how it works. They want to see their team win. Pittsburgh's a huge sports town. I know that I wouldn't be here getting paid to do what I love doing if it weren't for them.
“But it is tough when you have people that are supposed to be on your side and have your back say negative things about you before even asking you about what happened, giving you the benefit of the doubt.”
Asked what happened on the play, Jaso said he initially thought the Braves had turned a 3-6 double play. After swinging at the pitch, which broke his bat, Jaso said he first thought he had pulled the ball foul, then looked up to see Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman pivot his left leg to field the ball and wheel his right leg around, giving him the impression that Freeman had stepped on first.
“It just absolutely looked like he stepped on first base and I was like, ‘Crap, I'm out. This (stinks).' There's no point in running. I'm going to look like an idiot,” Jaso said. “So then I ended up looking like an idiot anyway, kind of funny how that worked out.”
Jaso's head was down and he said he didn't see Freeman's throw to second or Erick Aybar's throw to first to complete the double play. He said it wasn't until he later reviewed the play on video that he realized Freeman hadn't stepped on first.
Jaso said the play was made to be a microcosm of the Pirates' recent struggles and was, as a result, blown out of proportion.
“The truth in the situation like that is it's probably not as exciting as reporting what it seems like,” Jaso said. “ ‘This just shows you how the team has been struggling.' That's a much more exciting story.”
Asked if he had spoken with Tekulve about the comments, Jaso said: “No. I've got my stuff to do here. So I continue to do it and put a smile on my face and just keep going.”
Despite recent struggles at the plate and the comments and boos that followed the Thursday double play, Jaso said he is enjoying his first season in Pittsburgh.
“I love the fans here. It's great. I love playing here and I would never let something like that slow me down,” Jaso said. “At the same time, I would never attack somebody's character without giving them the benefit of the doubt about it first. Ever. So that does hurt.”
