Ryan Weathers Allowed a Home Run Right After Saying He’s ‘Sick and Tired’ of Giving Up Runs

Timing, as they say, is everything. And for Yankees lefty Ryan Weathers, the timing Thursday against the White Sox could not have been worse.

Moments after YES Network reporter Meredith Marakovits relayed from the dugout that Weathers was “sick and tired” of putting his team in an early hole, the pitcher served up a 420-foot home run to Colson Montgomery on the very first pitch of the at-bat. The video of the sequence — the sideline report followed almost immediately by a blast to center — made the rounds quickly, with fans and media alike pointing out the almost comedic irony.

Weathers came at Montgomery with a 94 mph sinker. Wrong choice. Montgomery didn’t miss it, and Chicago had a 1-0 lead before the echo of Marakovits’ sentence faded.

The home run was Weathers’ 15th allowed this season, a number that sits uncomfortably high for a pitcher trying to establish himself in New York’s rotation. It came not quite 24 hours after reliever Paul Blackburn also surrendered a homer, but Weathers’ was particularly painful because of the context.

Settling In After the Blast

To his credit, Weathers didn’t let the moment snowball. He got through the rest of the second inning without further damage, forcing two groundouts and a flyout. Manager Aaron Boone showed faith by leaving him in, and Weathers rewarded that trust with steady work over the next few frames.

He retired the side in the third inning on a grounder back to the mound — he tagged first base himself — and a flyout to left. Chase Meidroth managed a single, but Weathers bounced back by striking out Randal Grichuk with an 87 mph slider after Grichuk fouled off two pitches. It wasn’t flashy, but it was effective.

Weathers now sits at 2-5 on the season with a 4.36 ERA. He’s struck out 81 batters in his starts, which shows the stuff is there. The problem has been the long ball and the early deficits they create. For a team with playoff aspirations, those are the kinds of innings that can wear thin fast.

It’s one start. But when your own sideline reporter accidentally predicts the worst possible outcome, it sticks with you.