Rays' Mike Brosseau Says Game-Winning HR Not About Revenge vs. Yankees

The Tampa Bay Rays' Mike Brosseau said revenge wasn't on his mind when he hit a game-winning home run to eliminate the New York Yankees from the 2020 MLB playoffs Friday night.

Brosseau was nearly hit in the head by a 101 mph fastball from Yanks closer Aroldis Chapman in September, which led to both benches clearing and words being exchanged after Chapman struck out the super-utility player to end a 5-3 New York win last month.

"The revenge aspect, it's not a thought in my mind. We put it in the past and we moved on. We moved just straight to business," Brosseau told reporters. "The battle that we've had all year with these guys, to go to Game 5 and have such an unbelievably played well-played game, well-executed—you can't script it any better."

His ALDS-winning homer came in the bottom of the eighth Friday at the end of a 10-pitch at-bat against Chapman. Diego Castillo closed out the game in the top of the ninth to send the Rays to the ALCS, where they'll face the Houston Astros.

Brosseau, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, was at the plate for just the fifth time in the series and the eighth time in the playoffs when he homered off Chapman.

"I don't know if there's any way to describe that kind of feeling. It's something I'll never forget," he said. "Nobody here wanted the season to end tonight. Happy to do my part and keep this team together for at least a little bit longer."

The Yankees didn't reference their previous issues with the Rays during their postgame remarks, instead focusing on the heartbreaking nature of being eliminated by a late run in a winner-take-all contest.

"These situations fall on me. I am the closer. I am the one who is going to finish the game, [whether] winning or losing it," Chapman said. "These things will happen to me in my career. But I am a strong-minded person and I have to move forward after a terrible moment like that one."

Manager Aaron Boone added: "It's awful. The ending is cruel, it really is."

Chapman's three-game suspension for allegedly throwing at Brosseau was delayed until next year, which kept him available for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. If it's upheld, he'll likely miss the first three contests of the 2021 campaign.

Meanwhile, the AL East champion Rays will be a slight favorite (-167) over the Astros (+135) to reach the World Series, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

The ALCS will begin Sunday night at 7:37 p.m. ET on TBS.