Andrew, Austin Romine could turn Angels-Yankees into family feud

NEW YORK—The Angels recalled infielder Andrew Romine from triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday, creating the potential for a family feud in the final two games of a four-game series against the New York Yankees.

Romine is starting at shortstop Wednesday night in place of Erick Aybar, who has a minor left-calf injury and is expected to return Thursday. Romine’s younger brother, Austin, is a backup catcher for the Yankees and was not in Wednesday night’s lineup but could play Thursday.

This isn’t the first time Andrew, 27, and Austin, 24, have been in opposite dugouts. They have played against each other in the Arizona Fall League.

Andrew was also with the Angels on Sept. 11, 2011, when Austin made his major league debut in Anaheim, catching Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning of a 6-5 Yankees victory in the series finale in Angel Stadium. But Andrew and Austin have never been in a big league game together, opposing each other, at the same time.

If it’s anything like their high school days in Orange County, Andrew, who is 6-feet-1 and 185 pounds, will have to outwit Austin, who, at 6-feet-2 and 220 pounds, is a much bigger little brother.

“I always wondered, was he stealing food off my table?” Andrew said of the growth spurt that never came for him. “We played baseball and every other sport together. I used to beat him in everything until he got bigger than me.”

Did Andrew pick on Austin?

“As far as I know,” Andrew said, “my family and friends told me it was more psychological warfare, as Austin started to get bigger than me in high school.”

To make room for Romine on the roster, the Angels optioned left-handed reliever Nick Maronde to double-A Arkansas.

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