Chris Perez defends his Tweet

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Chris Perez wears his emotions on his sleeve and sometimes expresses them in a tweet.

Like Saturday night, after the Indians beat the Royals 11-9 in 10 innings in a game that featured two bench-clearing incidents when Shin-Soo Choo and Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas were hit by pitches.

Perez tweeted the following: "Huge team win tonight; time for a sweep to tell the Royals it's not 'Our Time,' it's Tribe Time. P.S. You hit us, we hit you. Period."

"Our Time" refers to the Royals' 2012 marketing slogan.

When asked about the tweet, the Tribe closer said, "It's the same as when I'm talking to you. I'm not afraid to say what I believe."

Trouble began in the third inning Saturday night, when Jonathan Sanchez hit Choo with a fastball just above the right knee, and Choo had a few words for Sanchez, as players swarmed the field.

Last year, when he was with the Giants, Sanchez broke Choo's left thumb with a pitch, putting Choo on the disabled list for almost seven weeks.
Moustakas led off the Kansas City third and was hit in the back by Jeanmar Gomez. Again benches cleared. Gomez, Jack Hannahan and manager Manny Acta were ejected.

Choo has been hit three times this season and almost was struck a fourth time. Perez's point: Even if no one threw at Choo intentionally, it's time the Indians send a message that recklessly pitching inside will not be tolerated.

"I'm not saying we let this go in the past, but we didn't have the right mindset on our staff," Perez said. "Choo is our No. 3 hitter for a reason. We can't afford to have people come inside (with abandon) and have them think it's no big deal.

"Last night, I don't think Choo was hit on purpose. But that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I've seen him hit six times already (including spring training), and I missed three weeks of camp. So enough is enough."

The book on Choo is to pitch him inside so he can't extend his arms.

"I know the scouting report on Choo," Perez said. "But if they miss, they hit him (and didn't worry about it). Sanchez hit Choo last year, and he lost six weeks of his career. He's not going to get those six weeks back."

Hannahan expressed similar feelings after Saturday night's game.

"If you're going to hit our studs, we're going to hit your studs," he said. "That's the way baseball has always been, and that's the way it should be."

Perez seems to think the Royals might feel bolder because they are considered the Central Division's up-and-coming franchise.

"The way I look at it, they're still behind us," Perez said. "They might be building a better team, but we still think we're better."


(sacbee.com)