Red Sox's Hunter Dobbins Responds to Report Saying His Dad Never Played for Yankees

Boston Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins is sticking by the story he told about his father playing for the New York Yankees, despite no evidence that he actually did.

Dobbins addressed the situation with reporters after Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays:

"My feelings and all that are based on my personal experiences and nothing to do with growing up or family. The whole backstory is stuff I heard growing up and seen pictures of from my dad. At the end of my day, it's just from my dad and how I kind of grew my love for the game. But at the end of the day I don't go and fact-check my dad or anything like that."

The situation began on June 8 when Dobbins told Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald his father, Lance Dobbins, was "actually drafted twice by the Yankees," signed with them and then "got traded over to the Diamondbacks."

Dobbins also within the story that "Andy Pettitte and my dad were really good friends.” 

However, Joel Sherman of the New York Post found no evidence of Lance Dobbins ever being drafted by the Yankees searching Baseball Reference's draft database.

Sherman also noted Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who has been with the organization since 1986, said he had no recollection of Dobbins being drafted by the club and "a check with the Yankees amateur department revealed no drafting of a Lance Dobbins."

MLB told Sherman that a search of its databases "could not find a Lance Dobbins drafted by the Yankees or any evidence of Lance Dobbins playing at any level with any of the 30 teams."

Speaking to Sherman on the phone, Pettitte said "neither he nor anyone he asked in his family remembers Lance Dobbins."

Per Baseball Reference, Dobbins did have a stint in professional baseball from 1996 to 1997 with two different independent league teams.

In the scheme of things, it's not really that big of a deal if Hunter Dobbins is fabricating a story about his father for some reason. Perhaps he's taking cues from Michael Jordan in The Last Dance and creating grudges that weren't real because it helps motivate him.

It's worth noting that the original highlight from his conversation with Starr before the controversy about his father came up was Dobbins saying he would rather "retire" than play for the Yankees.

There's no greater way for a Red Sox player to endear themselves to Boston fans than saying you would give up your career before wearing pinstripes.

We will find out if Dobbins' self-motivational tactics work on Saturday when he is scheduled to start for the Red Sox against the Yankees at Fenway Park.