In a strange turn of events prior to Thursday's Fourth of July matinee between the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds, a national anthem standoff took center stage, almost causing a delay in the start of the game.

The standoff began when two pitchers from each team, Ian Hamilton and Cody Poteet from the Yankees, and Graham Ashcraft and Carson Spiers from the Reds, continued to stand at attention long after the anthem had ended. Hamilton and Poteet positioned themselves on the first-base line, while Ashcraft and Spiers took their place on the third-base line, hoping to be the last ones to salute.

As the players stood their ground, the Yankees took to the field for the top of the first inning while Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman warmed up. The four players remained on the field, prompting home-plate umpire Alan Porter to gesture for both teams to exit. Third-base umpire Jim Wolf also engaged in a discussion with the groups until Yankees manager Aaron Boone finally instructed his players to leave the field, which they did.

Following the game, Boone commented that the start of the game was not delayed by the peculiar standoff, stating, "It had the potential to be... I think they were right up against it."

During the standoff, Porter briefly left the field to retrieve some equipment from the umpire's locker room. Meanwhile, Poteet revealed that the standoff was not planned in advance but was partially a result of the added pregame festivities. He explained, "There wasn't much thought to it... We noticed they were still standing, so we wanted to see who could outlast each other. We took it all the way to the last bit, close to the game starting. Just a little fun."

Ultimately, Ashcraft emerged as the last player standing, bringing an end to the amusing competition. Poteet described the incident as "something that happens naturally" and a unique experience within the game.

While the national anthem standoff almost caused a delay, it provided an unconventional and light-hearted moment before the game got underway.