When Indians oufielder Austin Kearns was pulled out of last night’s game against the Blue Jays after singling in the top of the seventh inning, he had no idea he had been traded.
“I have only been traded once, but it seems kind of like you usually don’t know what’s going on,” Kearns told reporters in Toronto after the game. “I didn’t know anything. I came out of the game and was just hanging out and after the game they called me in.”
The 30-year-old outfielder, who was acquired by the Yankees for a player to be named later, hit .272 with eight homers and 42 RBIs in 301 at-bats for Cleveland this season.
A first-round pick by the Reds in 1998, Kearns gives the Yankees an additional right-handed bat off the bench. He also provides them with a reliable defensive option in left, enabling the Yankees to shift Brett Gardner to center and sit Curtis Granderson against tough left-handers.
“I haven’t talked to them,” Kearns said when asked what he thought his role would be. “But I think when you get the opportunity to go there, you don’t worry about that kind of thing. There are bigger and better things to worry about than playing time.”
Kearns, who has played at all three outfield spots this season, is a career .257 hitter with 113 home runs in his nine-year career. He has also never played in a playoff game, something the Yankees hope will change this season.
“I think if you ask anybody, playing in that atmosphere, whether you’re on the home team or the visiting team, it’s fun,” Kearns said. “You have a packed house, and you’re playing on a winner.
“You can’t ask for anything more.”