Jordan HammIf you’ve watched Archie Bradley pitch, you know he is a fiery competitor and has a lot of pride when wearing his Sedona red.
The Diamondbacks relief pitcher also likes to don the Crimson for his beloved Oklahoma Sooners.
Bradley, a native of Oklahoma, was a Sooner quarterback commit and a member of the Elite 11 in high school. When he was selected seventh overall in the 2011 MLB Draft, he decided to take to the diamond rather than the gridiron. Despite passing up the offer from Bob Stoops, Bradley remains a diehard Sooner supporter.
To put it simply, he really enjoyed Oklahoma’s 31-16 win over Ohio State on Saturday.
“To go into the Horseshoe and beat the #2 team in the country after what they did to us in Norman was a little sweet revenge,” Bradley said. “Now, knock on wood, it puts us in the driver’s seat so let’s go. Boomer Sooner!”
Like Bradley, current Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield is known for his competitive drive. After throwing for 386 yards and three touchdowns on the Buckeyes, he had an emphatic exclamation point that stirred up some controversy. Once the clock hit zero, Mayfield began waving an Oklahoma flag and planted it in the middle of the Ohio State logo.
Savage. 😱
Baker Mayfield just planted the Oklahoma flag on the 50-yard line at OSU.pic.twitter.com/SpwWPU9TOX— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) September 10, 2017
Mayfield later publicly apologized if the act came off disrespectful.
As someone who has been outspoken about defending his home turf in Chase Field against division rival Dodgers, Bradley had this to say about Mayfield’s postgame punctuation:
“When you win and you’re a competitor, you’re probably going to do some things that rub people the wrong way, but that’s the way sports goes,” Bradley said. “You have to be who you are. That’s what I love and respect about Baker is he’s going to be who he is, and he is the leader of that team. Hopefully he leads us to the promise land.”
What’s Next
Archie Bradley and the D-backs are in the middle of a four-game series, and a potential NL Wildcard preview, against the Colorado Rockies. Mayfield and the Sooners play Tulane before heading into Big 12 play.
