Jeremy Guthrie Doesn't Care for the Yankees

When Guthrie pitches, bruises are sure to follow.

Apparently Jeremy Guthrie doesn't read the Wall Street Journal.

If the Orioles pitcher were a fan of Rupert Murdoch's prized pony, he would surely know that hating the Yankees is as passe as actually reading a hard copy of a newspaper every morning. He doesn't, though, and therefore still views Yankee hitters as those paper targets of human bodies used for target practice at shooting ranges. 

Guthrie plunked Jorge Posada on the knee during Wednesday night's Yankee win and forced the catcher to the bench with a knee contusion. Maybe he's just ticked off that the Yankees get contusions when the rest of the world simply bruises, but this isn't a new thing with Guthrie. He beaned Mark Teixeira and Francisco Cervelli during Spring Training and has hit nine Yankees during his career.

He's only hit 24 batters in total over the years, so it's not like he's a headhunter in games against teams without the interlocking NY on their hats. 

This upsets Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who basically said he wished Guthrie was a better pitcher so that he didn't have to worry about his aging catcher getting knocked out of the lineup by an errant fastball. While Girardi's concern is understandable, he should be okay with the risk involved in facing Guthrie. 

The Yankees have also hit more home runs off of Guthrie than any other team and have battered him to the tune of a 5.21 ERA. Wednesday night was no different as they banged Guthrie around for seven runs in four-and-two-thirds innings and kickstarted their offense after a rocky stretch that resulted in four losses in five games. It would be sweet to have Guthrie around whenever such hardships surface, even if it means risking a contusion or two in the process.

If nothing else, the Yankees should feel better knowing that there are still people out there willing to buck the trends and hate their very existence. The world feels a little more right, even if Posada's knee doesn't.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter.

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