Seething Rays reliever gives elite postgame interview after fan’s bizarre message

Reliever Pete Fairbanks is having a nice tenure with the Tampa Bay Rays, but it seems like he hasn’t built enough goodwill with the entire fanbase.

Monday night, the Rays were dealt a frustrating loss after a wild pitch from Fairbanks with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning allowed the Texas Rangers to score the game winning run. After the game, a visibly annoyed Fairbanks spoke to reporters and gave one of the most surprising postgame presser quotes of the year.

Pete Fairbanks won’t be drinking bleach anytime soon, but he’s determined to pitch better than ever 😁🔊 pic.twitter.com/sAORdmFnv8

— Bally Sports Sun: Rays (@BallyRays) July 18, 2023

“It was yanked,” Fairbanks said of the wild pitch. “It felt like it came out of my hand real hot. And unfortunately, real not near the strike zone. Tough way to lose. Tough way to try and skirt the danger and put yourself in a spot to escape, then try to do too much and have it end like that. I’m still having a better night than the guy who told me he wouldn’t bat an eye if I drank some bleach — so that’s good. But yeah, just another day in the life of being on the losing end of the bullpen.”

If you only read the above quote, I recommend watching the video, because Fairbanks’s matter-of-fact delivery puts this presser over the top.

The ultra-competitive Fairbanks was obviously annoyed by the wild pitch and the manner in which Tampa lost the game, but the reliever looked like he would at least be able to brush it off in time for their next game. That fan who sought to reach out to Fairbanks, however, someone should check in with that fan. The final takeaway from this clip is that Fairbanks has a future in broadcasting or voice acting if he wants it. His deep voice and still cadence almost echoes the smoothness of the late Bob Ross and it deserves to be heard.

[Bally Sports Sun, TCB]