Check out this epic anthem showdown
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PHILADELPHIA -- Marlins outfielder Magneuris Sierra and Phillies infielder Ronald Torreyes had a showdown for the ages on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Sierra and Torreyes remained on the field for nearly 10 minutes following the national anthem. They were still standing in their spots as Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola threw his warmup pitches and the base coaches took the field.
"It wasn't anything that we planned," Sierra said via an interpreter on Thursday. "Normally, at the end of the anthem, I say, 'Let me stay right here, let me just stand right here and see what happens.' I do that often. And yesterday somebody was standing there with me. Normally, nobody does that. I saw there were two guys, and then there was one guy there."
The Phillie Phanatic first visited Torreyes to offer his support, then made his way to Sierra. He hopped off his vehicle to distract Miami’s reserve outfielder with a dance, but Sierra wouldn't budge. Jazz Chisholm Jr., who was set to lead off the game, came to his teammate's defense and shooed the Phanatic away by tapping him on the belly with his bat. Sierra also received the support of Pablo López, who wiped his forehead with a towel, and Zach Thompson, who offered him fluids.
“It was a lot of fun doing all of that, and that's what this is all about: having fun,” Sierra said. “Seeing the action from the mascot trying to make me lose concentration, it was something really fun. And having Jazz there, it was also a lot of fun.”
Even after Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto threw down to second to signal the end of warmups, neither player moved. It wasn’t until home-plate umpire Phil Cuzzi had cleaned up home plate and taken off his mask that he signaled to Sierra and Torreyes.
"Guys, here we go, at the same time," Cuzzi said.
Except Torreyes made the move first, making Sierra the winner. Sierra received high fives from Sandy Alcantara, Jesús Aguilar and López in his return to the dugout. Hours later, Sierra sparked Miami's go-ahead six-run fifth inning with a leadoff pinch-hit single.