Yankees defeat ESPN, will not play on 'Sunday Night Baseball' before double-header

The New York Yankees haven’t started playing their scheduled game Tuesday, but the team has already picked up a win. The Yankees defeated ESPN after the network decided to move the team’s July 8 game back to its original time, according to the New York Daily News.

What happened?

The Yankees got involved in a back-and-forth with ESPN after the network wanted to feature the team on its “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast July 8. The team was initially set to play earlier in the day, but ESPN had the ability to adjust that time for “Sunday Night Baseball.” They flexed that game into primetime, which was meant with disappointment from the Yankees.

What was the problem?

Normally, playing on Sunday night wouldn’t be an issue. The Yankees, however, were scheduled to play a double-header against the Baltimore Orioles the following day. If they played on “Sunday Night Baseball,” they wouldn’t have been able to get to Baltimore until the early hours of the morning and then would be expected to play two more games.

The Yankees ought to celebrate their win over ESPN. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Yankees ought to celebrate their win over ESPN. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

What did the Yankees do about it?

They took on ESPN. Manager Aaron Boone — who used to work for the network — urged the powers that be to move the game back to its original time. He said it would be a disservice to the fans if the team had to play three games in such a short period, but also expressed concern over keeping his guys healthy.

To show they were serious about this, the Yankees threatened to boycott ESPN personalities. It looks like that threat worked.

Now what?

The Yankees will play an early afternoon game against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 8. That will give the team enough time to travel to Baltimore and maybe get some sleep before its double-header the next day.

As a replacement, ESPN has decided to go with the Los Angeles Angels against the Los Angeles Dodgers for that week’s “Sunday Night Baseball” matchup. Not a bad result for either side, honestly.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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