BOSTON — Hunter Dobbins’ page in the 2025 Red Sox Media Guide states that his father Lance pitched for two seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization from 1996-97. There are similar notes in his official MLB.com player bio and on Texas Tech baseball’s website, and over the weekend Dobbins reiterated the claim to the Boston Herald ahead of his first career start at Yankee Stadium.

But according to an article in the New York Post, that isn’t true.

The Post’s Joel Sherman reported Tuesday that there is no record of Lance Dobbins ever pitching in the Diamondbacks system. Nor was there evidence supporting the claim that Dobbins’ father was drafted by the New York Yankees, or friends with former Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, claims Dobbins made to the Herald and other outlets in the past.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Dobbins addressed the Post story and said that what he said about his father's background was based on stories he heard growing up and pictures of his dad that he'd seen.

"At the end of the day I don't go fact-check my dad," Dobbins said.

Asked if he'd spoken to his father since the Post story broke to get an explanation, Dobbins said he had but that it isn't something he plans to delve deeper into at present.

"A little bit but not really. My whole focus is on Saturday and getting ready to face the Yankees," Dobbins said. "I imagine we'll talk in the future or something like that, but it's been a bigger deal than it really needed to be. But at the end of the day I just need to be ready to go on Saturday."

Dobbins initially made waves when he expressed his long-held animus towards the Yankees in an interview with the Herald at Yankee Stadium before his first career start against Boston's longtime rivals.

“My dad was a diehard Red Sox fan,” he said. “And I’ve said it before, that if the Yankees were the last team to give me a contract, I’d retire.”

Dobbins stood by those comments Wednesday.

"My feelings (about the Yankees) and all that, they're based off of my personal experiences," he said Wednesday of the now-viral quote. "And also because of the rivalry, so we're just having some fun. Jazz (Chisholm Jr. of the Yankees) got into it too, and we had a good time about it."

The quote drew significant attention and became the main storyline of the following night's Sunday Night Baseball broadcast on ESPN. In that same interview Dobbins made a couple of other statements relating to his father, saying he'd been drafted twice by the Yankees before getting traded to the Diamondbacks, and that he was close with Pettitte.

But according to the Post report, longtime Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has no recollection of Dobbins ever being drafted, which he confirmed with the club's amateur department. The Post also reached out to original Diamondbacks general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. and manager-in-waiting Buck Showalter, who similarly had no memory of Dobbins during that period when the Arizona franchise only had minor league clubs ahead of its 1998 inaugural season.

The Post also contacted Pettitte, who said he and his family don't know Dobbins.

According to Baseball Reference, nobody named Lance Dobbins has ever played for a major league club or an affiliated minor league team. The website only has record of a Lance Dobbins playing two years of indy ball from 1996-97, pitching in 29 games for the Meridian Brakemen in the Big South League and for the Ohio Valley Redcoats in the Frontier League.

Despite that fact, the story that Lance Dobbins was drafted by the Yankees and played for the Diamondbacks is not new and has been referenced in Hunter Dobbins' player bios and in news articles for as long as he has had a public profile. A story last summer in the Worcester Telegram about Dobbins during his time with the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate WooSox mentions Lance being drafted twice by the Yankees, and over the weekend a MassLive story also referenced his time with the Diamondbacks organization.

Dobbins has made 10 appearances with the big league club since making his MLB debut on April 6. In those appearances he has posted a 4.20 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings. His last outing came Sunday in the Bronx, when he allowed three runs over five innings, giving up a pair of home runs but ultimately earning the win in his first career start at Yankee Stadium.

Speaking of the experience, Dobbins said he enjoyed pitching in New York and that the Post's report didn't bother him.

"This is a great rivalry," he said. "Two cities that have a long history together. ... It's a lot of fun. I mean, growing up watching those series, you can't wait to be on the mound for it. So I mean, it was a great environment. I fed off of it a little bit."

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