The Boston Red Sox Thursday, September 7, 2017
* The Boston Globe
Red Sox offense breaks out to beat Blue Jays
Peter Abraham
The Red Sox demoted Doug Fister to the bullpen after his first three starts this season. When he returned to the rotation in late July, it was only because David Price went on the disabled list.
Now the righthander is one of the most reliable starters they have.
Fister was sharp again on Wednesday night, allowing one run over seven innings as the Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-1, at rainy Fenway Park.
The Sox won two games in a span of 21 hours on Wednesday, finishing off a 19-inning game just after 1 a.m. then coming back to the ballpark later in the day.
Manager John Farrell canceled all but the necessary pre-game activities for his players and told them not to report to the park until 5 p.m.
If the Sox were tired, they did not show it. They collected nine hits, drew five walks and stole four bases. With the Yankees getting rained out in Baltimore, the Sox now have a four-game lead in the American League East.
The Sox are off Thursday and continue their homestand on Friday against Tampa Bay.
Fister left Fenway Park on Tuesday night when the game went into extra innings and was home asleep before it ended.
“I woke up and saw it went 19 innings. That was a good win for the boys and I knew I had to give them some innings,” he said.
Fister (5-7) scattered four hits, walked three and struck out nine. He had not stuck out that many since Sept. 26, 2014 while a member of the Washington Nationals.
Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes each pitched a perfect inning of relief. Sox pitchers retired the final nine Blue Jays in a row.
For Fister, the game followed what has become a familiar pattern in that he allowed a run in the first inning before shutting down the opposition.
In his last four starts, Fister has given up five runs on eight hits in the first inning. He has thrown 26 shutout innings otherwise and allowed six hits.
Farrell feared that would be different against Toronto. Interim manager DeMarlo Hale stacked his lineup with four lefthanded hitters and three switch hitters. But Fister prospered with a better-than-usual curveball that had the Jays taking awkward swings.
“He finds a way to settle in then has quick innings,” Farrell said. “Those seven innings were big.”
Fister is 5-2 with a 2.79 earned run average in seven starts since replacing Price.
The Sox have a few weeks before worrying about a playoff rotation. But Fister is making a good case to be included.
Fister needed 22 pitches to get through the first inning but allowed only one run. He then retired 19 of the final 23 batters he faced, striking out eight and getting eight outs on the ground.
“Sometimes in situations I looked to expand the [strike] zone and get the strikeout. But most of the time I’m looking to attack,” Fister said.
Blue Jays starter Joe Biagini (3-10) allowed five runs over 3⅓ innings.
The Sox tied the game in the bottom of the first with aggressive base running by noted small-ball advocate Eduardo Nunez.
Nunez singled, stole second, took third on a fly ball to center and scored on a groundball to second by Andrew Benintendi.
The fourth inning was more of a power display.
Mitch Moreland walked and then dashed around the bases when Xander Bogaerts lined a triple down the line in right field.
Bogaerts is not having a good offensive season but has six triples, one more that he had in the first four seasons of his career.
Bogaerts scored when Rafael Devers singled to left field. After Sandy Leon grounded into a force, Jackie Bradley Jr. homered into the Red Sox bullpen. It was his 15th of the season.
Bradley was one of the six Red Sox fielders who played all 19 innings in the previous game.
“You’ve got to mentally strong for this. Only the mentally strong survive,” Bradley said. “It’s tough. Your mind is telling your body to slow down. That’s what you train all offseason for, times like this.”
The Sox added a run in the sixth inning. It could have been more if not for a bizarre double play.
Devers led off with a single against Tim Mayza and went to third on a double by Leon. When Bradley grounded to shortstop, Richard Urena’s error allowed Devers to score.
Carlos Ramirez replaced Mayza and got an out before hitting pinch hitter Chris Young to load the bases.
Benintendi followed with a pop fly down the line in left. Saunders dropped the ball then threw to the plate to force Leon. Bradley, who had retreated back to second, was thrown out going to third to end the inning.
Benintendi is hitless in his last 20 at-bats.
The Sox are 12-4 against the last-place Blue Jays this season, winning seven of the last nine meetings. The teams play at Fenway again Sept. 25-27.
Next step for David Price is facing hitters
Peter Abraham
For the first time since July 22, David Price is set to face hitters.
The lefthander threw 30 pitches in the bullpen at Fenway Park on Wednesday afternoon with what manager John Farrell described as “good intensity.”
Price is now scheduled to pitch to teammates from the main mound on Saturday afternoon. The tentative plan is to have him warm up then throw two 15-pitch innings.
With expanded rosters, the Sox are carrying 18 position players and can provide all the competition Price needs. Price is on the disabled list with a triceps strain.
Farrell was uncertain if Price would go four days between throwing sessions or condense those outings. Ultimately, that could be determined by whether the Sox decide to use Price as a starter or reliever once he returns.
If Price pitched every five days, he could theoretically build up to six innings by Sept. 29 and pitch in a major league game that day to assess his readiness for a postseason assignment.
Price is 5-3 with a 3.82 earned run average in 11 starts this season.
Source: penalty wouldn’t be severe If Major League Baseball punishes the Red Sox for using a smartwatch to communicate stolen signs to the dugout, the sanctions are not expected to be severe.
A MLB source said Wednesday that any punishment would not include a direct impact on the major league team. That could mean a fine or perhaps the loss of a pick on the second day of the amateur draft.
The same is true for the Yankees, who have been accused by the Red Sox of using a YES Network camera to zoom in on Sox coaches giving signs to players.
Commissioner Rob Manfred appears to regard the matter as far less serious than the incident in 2015 when the Red Sox conspired to circumvent international signing rules by signing multiple prospects to “package deals” and then redistributing the bonus payments to the better players.
Maddox shines After front-liners Joe Kelly, Addison Reed, Craig Kimbrel, and Brandon Workman gave the Sox five innings of scoreless relief against Toronto on Tuesday, Farrell turned to 26-year-old rookie Austin Maddox.
Maddox worked two innings, retiring six of the seven batters he faced. He played a big role in what turned into a 3-2 victory in 19 innings.
“I was excited,” Maddox said. “You live for moments like that. I wanted to be in there.”
Maddox was a third-round pick in 2012 out of the University of Florida. He has appeared in six major league games this season and thrown 7⅔ scoreless innings with five hits, five strikeouts, and no walks.
“It’s as much mound presence and not fearing the moment,” Farrell said. “He threw the ball over the plate.”
Maddox is a power pitcher but has shown the ability to throw a changeup for strikes to righthanded hitters.
Maddox has played parts of six seasons in the minors and never been considered a glittering prospect. But he has impressed the major league staff.
“He’s had his own personal challenges that he’s gone through to get to this level,” Farrell said. “Pretty headstrong person and the ability not to fear the moment. Very aggressive, very good approach.”
Maddox said there weren’t any nerves being in such a taut game.
“I knew what I had to do, throw strikes and challenge the hitters,” he said. “When you get an opportunity like that, you have to do what works for you.”
Waiting and worrying Sox catcher Christian Vazquez, a native of Puerto Rico, was on the phone before the game with members of his family as they awaited the arrival of Hurricane Irma. “They’re safe,” said Vazquez, who is from Bayamon. “They’re going to be fine.” . . . Dustin Pedroia was the designated hitter because of the damp conditions. Farrell was fearful of Pedroia slipping on his strained left knee . . . Tuesday’s marathon game was the latest walkoff win in Sox history, Mookie Betts scoring from second on Hanley Ramirez’s bloop single. Three previous home games of 19 or more innings ended in losses. It was the second-longest game at Fenway Park. Only a 20-inning loss against Seattle in 1981 was longer . . . The Sox used 12 pitchers on Tuesday, tying an American League record set by the Los Angeles Angels on Monday at Oakland. Sox relievers worked 13 scoreless innings.
Dustin Pedroia responds to charges of sign stealing by Yankees
Peter Abraham
Investigators from Major League Baseball have not contacted Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia regarding charges of sign stealing by the Yankees.
If they do, he has a firm opinion on the tempest.
“We’re here to play baseball,” Pedroia said Wednesday before his team played the Blue Jays. “We have a 3½-game lead in our division. Other than that, nobody gives a [expletive]. We’re trying to win a baseball game.”
Stealing signs is not against baseball rules. But teams are not permitted to have unapproved electronic devices in the dugout. The Yankees filed a complaint with MLB, saying the Sox transmitted information on signs to the dugout via an Apple Watch.
According to a story by the New York Times, Pedroia was one of the Sox players receiving the information and relaying it to teammates.
“Obviously I played against the Yankees for 11 years. It’s part of the game,” he said. “Our adjustment to that stuff is to go out to the mound and change the signs. Just keep it at that.
“It’s baseball. It’s part of the game. It’s been around a long time. We were doing that at Douglas Junior High School where I played. So I don’t think it should be news to everybody.”
While Pedroia has not been interviewed by MLB, he is aware of photographs showing him in the dugout talking to assistant athletic trainer Jon Jochim, who was wearing an Apple Watch.
“I was talking to the trainer about what time I was rehabbing the next day,” Pedroia said. “I was on the [disabled list].”
Pedroia also mocked the Yankees for giving MLB a photograph of what they said was pitcher Doug Fister wearing an earpiece.
“It was his mouth guard,” Pedroia said.
If commissioner Rob Manfred punishes the Red Sox, the sanctions are not expected to be severe.
A MLB source said any punishment would not have a direct impact on the major league team. That could mean a fine or perhaps the loss of a pick on the second day of the amateur draft.
The same is true for the Yankees, who have been accused by the Red Sox of using a YES Network camera to zoom in on coaches giving signs to players.
Manfred appears to regard the matter as far less serious than the incident in 2015 when the Red Sox conspired to circumvent international signing rules by signing multiple prospects to “package deals” and then redistributing the bonus payments to the better players.
The Sox had five minor leaguers reclassified as free agents and lost the right to sign prospects for a year.
“I do believe that this is a charged situation from a competitive perspective when you have the kind of rivalry that the Yankees and the Red Sox have. I guess it’s not shocking that you could have charges and counter charges like this,” Manfred said on Tuesday.
Pedroia believes the charges are emanating from New York’s front office.
“I know the players on both sides. I’m sure, probably, I don’t think it’s from them,” he said.
“We already played them 19 times. They beat us how many, 11? They beat us. I’m not going to cry to anybody about it. That’s baseball.”
Red Sox manager John Farrell claimed he did not know the process the players used to steal signs, which seems unusual given the number of people involved.
But Farrell stayed with his story on Wednesday.
“Over my career, there are players that are more adept at picking up signs than others. That’s not really a conversation point. That’s more they’re providing information to their teammates,” he said.
The Red Sox have cooperated with the investigation and admitted fault, something that will be factored into any punishment.
“Could not have asked for better cooperation than what we’ve received from the Boston Red Sox,” Manfred said.
Manfred traveled to Boston on Tuesday to join in celebrating “Pete Frates Day” in Boston with Mayor Martin J. Walsh.
Manfred has become close to the Frates family and been a supporter of their ALS advocacy.
Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski suggested the Yankees leaked the story to the Times knowing Manfred was in Boston.
A day later, it appears it was more related to the Red Sox having filed their formal complain against the Yankees on Tuesday.
Teams want Red Sox severely punished for stealing signs
Nick Cafardo
There’s a lot of chatter in baseball about the Red Sox stealing signs. And it isn’t flattering.
Not that they’re alone, but they’re alone in how they did it: by using an Apple Watch.
“There are 29 other teams very interested to see what happens to the Red Sox,” said one American League general manager. “This needs to be dealt with sternly by the commissioner’s office. If it isn’t, the Red Sox got away with one.”
Colleague Peter Abraham quoted one major league source as saying the Red Sox will not get a severe penalty. If that’s the case, it won’t go over too big around baseball.
“If that happens it’s a joke,” said another AL executive. “I don’t know how many wins their actions gave them or cost other teams, but it’s something.”
One game being focused on is the Sox’ 12-10 walkoff win over the Indians on Aug. 1, a victory that put the Red Sox in first place. Chris Sale allowed seven runs in five innings in that game. The Red Sox came back, but according to one AL source, there was plenty of evidence that Sox hitters knew what pitches were coming from a talented Indians bullpen that night. The Sox touched up Bryan Shaw, Andrew Miller, and Cody Allen for seven runs.
According to a major league source, the Indians knew something was going on but it was tough to keep up, thinking the Red Sox’ system was “elaborate.”
It’s hard to discern how many complaints have been logged with the league about the Red Sox, other than that of the Yankees. But even in the absence of formal complaints, teams were complaining to one another about what the Red Sox were doing.
“There was something going on because in some of the games they’ve won they’ve been going through other teams’ bullpens — teams that have pretty good bullpens,” said one AL executive.
Teams trying to make the playoffs could have lost games impacted by this. Players who may have suffered by the Red Sox knowing what pitches were coming could also be affected in arbitration cases, free agency, etc.
The Yankees, according to one major league source, were trying to figure out how the Red Sox were stealing their signs. It wasn’t until Aug. 18 that they had their evidence in place and proceeded to the league with it. The league apparently tried to set up a telephone meeting between Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and Yankees GM Brian Cashman in an effort to resolve the issue, but the meeting never happened. The league then decided to investigate.
If there is leniency shown to the Red Sox, more than a few teams will be displeased.
“Nobody knows or can tell really how many wins the Red Sox gained by this activity, but it’s something. And when races are this tight, that’s significant,” said one of the AL executives.
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus is one opponent who said he’s always aware of stealing signs but he wasn’t aware of any electronic devices being used when his team faced the Red Sox. The Sox apparently have taken it to another level, one which irked not only the Yankees but other teams.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said he will decide on this shortly.
“The penalty has to have something in it that will deter teams from doing this again,” said one of the AL executives. “Otherwise, it means nothing.”
Discipline for Red Sox’ sign stealing is not expected to be severe
Peter Abraham
If Major League Baseball punishes the Red Sox for using a smartwatch to communicate stolen signs to the dugout, the sanctions are not expected to be severe.
An MLB source said Wednesday that any punishment would not include a direct impact on the major league team. That could mean a fine or perhaps the loss of a pick on the second day of the amateur draft.
The same is true for the Yankees, who have been accused by the Red Sox of using a YES Network camera to zoom in on Sox coaches giving signs to players.
Commissioner Rob Manfred appears to regard the matter as far less serious than the incident in 2015 when the Red Sox conspired to circumvent international signing rules by signing multiple prospects to “package deals” and then redistributing the bonus payments to the better players.
In that case, the Sox had five minor leaguers reclassified as free agents and lost the right to sign prospects for a year.
Stealing signs does not rise to that level of punishment.
“I do believe that this is a charged situation from a competitive perspective when you have the kind of rivalry that the Yankees and the Red Sox have. I guess it’s not shocking that you could have charges and counter charges like this,” Manfred said on Tuesday.
The Red Sox cooperated with the investigation and admitted fault, something that will be factored into any punishment.
“Could not have asked for better cooperation than what we’ve received from the Boston Red Sox,” Manfred said.
Manfred traveled to Boston on Tuesday, in part, to join in celebrating “Pete Frates Day” with Mayor Martin J., Walsh.
Manfred has become close to the Frates family and has been a supporter of their ALS advocacy.
Manfred was not expecting to have to deal with fallout from a New York Times story regarding the Red Sox breaking major league rules by using unapproved electronic devices in the dugout to relay signals.
Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski suggested the Yankees leaked the story to the Times knowing Manfred was in Boston.
A day later, it appears it was more related to the Red Sox having filed their formal complaint with the league office regarding the Yankees’ alleged use of their network cameras to steal signs.
This sign-stealing mess is rife with technical difficulties
Nick Cafardo
You can bet that after this latest scandal involving the Red Sox stealing signs with the help of an Apple Watch that even more technology will be used to solve the problem.
For a while now, even before this incident, there were discussions about eliminating sign stealing by hooking up the manager, coaches, catcher, and pitcher with earpieces so communication can take place during the game without using hand signals.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi has been a big advocate of this.
“If you can use electronics for other things, I think we ought to be able to use it in the game to communicate,” Girardi told reporters.
While some will think the Red Sox are cheaters and will be outraged by their actions, it’s hard to muster a lot of vitriol against them on this. It would have more meat to it if sign stealing itself were illegal, but it is not, and the commissioner of baseball said as much at his news conference in Boston Tuesday.
Stealing signs has been going on since the beginning of baseball. The Red Sox brought the act into the 21st century with the use of creative technology. They’re stealing signs with video and phones rather than the naked eye.
What we agree on is that the Red Sox were wrong because there’s a specific rule about using electronic devices to steal signs. They will be rightly punished. As commissioner Rob Manfred pointed out, there’s no precedent for taking away victories, so that’s not an option. They will be fined, and probably have draft picks taken away.
But baseball has to be careful. It encourages technology in virtually every aspect of the game now. We have replay. We have the possibility of a 20-second clock for pitchers. We have iPads in the dugouts. We have sophisticated video equipment in the clubhouse.
Believe me, I’d dump instant replay in a second if I were commissioner. It just takes too much time, and it removes the human element and the excitement of manager/umpire disputes. But the reality is, it’s here to stay. It’s technology. So if we accept that technology, why aren’t we accepting it in other areas?
It’s the same thing with analytics. Teams use analytics in virtually every area of their roster building and game strategy. It has reached the point where what advantage does Team X really have over Team Y if the data are virtually the same for everyone? Look at defensive shifts. Every team has the same info on how every hitter in baseball should be played. It has become a complete bore.
The Red Sox might have had an edge for five minutes until everyone started using the I-Cheat phone. It’s debatable how much advantage the Sox had in stealing signs, but during the period in question, they did win four out of six games.
The other part of the story I don’t get is John Farrell’s role.
The original New York Times story by Michael Schmidt — who breaks every story on Donald Trump, steroids in baseball, and now this — indicated that Farrell was unaware. Hard to believe. You mean there’s a trainer feeding information to players who feed information to hitters and the manager is unaware of this?
That doesn’t give Farrell a good look in this. If he admits he knew about it, it also doesn’t give him a good look. So this is a no-win situation.
The other issue that’s hanging is how long did the Red Sox do this? Was it all season? If that’s the case, nobody but the Yankees detected it?
I asked Orioles general manager Dan Duquette if his team had any evidence that the Red Sox had used the I-Cheat phone to garner an advantage, and he indicated that he did not have such information.
I also have problems with the people involved — the trainer, Chris Young, and Dustin Pedroia. Did they not know that they were participating in something that was against the rules?
We are also curious to see whether there will be any legs to the Red Sox’ counter claim against the Yankees that they used their YES Network cameras to steal Boston signs.
But since this happened, you can see where the earpiece idea might now be accelerated.
There is too much technology in baseball, and if it goes to the earpieces, now you’re throwing more technology to solve a problem that technology created.
If stealing signs is legal, then why wouldn’t someone come up with a better way of doing it? The Red Sox simply modernized the act.
Either you have to say stealing signs is not permitted under any circumstances and enforce that, or you just throw more technology at it to solve it. I get the feeling we’ll see more technology.
Yes, the Red Sox have played a lot of extra innings this year
Alex Speier
Imagine running a marathon where the finish line for one participant had been pushed back from 26.2 miles to just over 27. Such is the nature of the beast for a Red Sox team whose first-place standing has been built around a most unusual form of success.
With a 19-inning, 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays early Wednesday morning, the Red Sox improved to 12-3 in extra-inning games this year. Their 12 extra-inning victories are tied for the most in the majors this year while representing their highest total since they claimed 13 in 1982. Their .800 winning percentage in extra-inning games is their highest since 1938, when they went 9-1 (.900).
Yet the raw number of extra-inning games is less interesting than the types of games the Red Sox have played. Tuesday’s 19-inning affair represented the second-longest contest in the venerable 106-year history of Fenway Park, surpassed only by a 20-inning contest against the Mariners that was played over two days (Sept. 3-4, 1981).
They’ve played a major league-high seven games of 12 or more innings. They are the first team since 2013 to play at least three 15-inning games in one season, and the first Red Sox team to do so since 1976.
The cumulative volume of extra innings is unlike anything the Red Sox have experienced in generations. Their pitchers have logged 47⅔ frames from the 10th inning and beyond this year, the most by any Red Sox team since the 1963 team punched in for 49 innings of added labor.
In essence, Sox pitchers have added more than five full games of work in extra innings to the standard 162- game season — the equivalent of adjusting a marathon to just over 27 miles. They’ve thrown five more innings in extras than any other team in the majors; only one other AL team has come within 18 innings of the Red Sox staff’s extra-innings workload.
Yet the Boston bullpen (with an assist from some spectacular defense) has been dazzling in the face of that daunting workload, helping to explain the Red Sox’ fantastic record in extra innings — a record that, in turn, helps to explain why the team remains in first place.
Baseball-Reference.com identifies 294 teams since the early 1940s that have thrown more than 40 innings beyond the ninth in a single season. Of those, the Red Sox’ 1.32 ERA in extras is tied for 11th best — and ranks third among AL teams during the DH era, behind only the 2012 Orioles (0.75) and 1976 Twins (1.28).
In many respects, these marathon victories have become the win-ugly signature of the 2017 Red Sox. If they had merely an 8-7 record in such contests, they’d be looking up at the Yankees in the AL East while playing bumper cars with the other wild-card contenders.
Instead, they remain in control of the division and their postseason fate.
* The Boston Herald
Red Sox go slugging in the rain to beat Blue Jays
Jason Mastrodonato
This is more like it.
This is what the Red Sox are supposed to be doing to the lowly Toronto Blue Jays.
Playing through drizzle for most of the game, the Red Sox slapped around Jays starter Joe Biagini and once again hopped on the back of Doug Fister on their way to a 6-1 win last night.
The game started on time, despite heavy rain in the forecast all night, and it wasn’t until the fifth inning that it started to come down consistently. The grounds crew had to tend to the pitcher’s mound several times.
But no matter who the Blue Jays put out there, the Red Sox had no problem hitting the ball as they won the series finale and took two of three from the last-place Jays.
“It was special, that’s for sure,” said Jackie Bradley Jr., who had three RBI. “Being able to mentally tough out that long (19-inning) game (Tuesday) night and to come back, I feel like we had some momentum coming into today. Just try not to think about the weather and just go out and compete and perform your best.”
Fister put the Red Sox in a 1-0 hole in the first inning — something he’s done several times, though it hasn’t stopped him from throwing four straight gems — and a Red Sox team that needed 19 innings to score three runs one night earlier had five runs by the time the fourth inning ended.
The Sox put 16 guys on base on Tuesday but scored just three times. What did the offense do differently in this one?
Luck, maybe, and some well-placed fly balls.
“I think we came out with good energy,” manager John Farrell said. “When we run the bases and have success like that, I think there’s an energy that we draw from that. And I think at the same time it gives that guy on the mound, the opposition, a lot more to contend with. So there might have been some deeper counts, some walks that were mixed into that and an occasional base hit.”
After Mitch Moreland drew a walk to start the fourth, Xander Bogaerts stuck his bat out just far enough to slice an outside fastball down the right-field line for an RBI triple. Rafael Devers then blooped a shallow fly to left for another RBI.
Bradley might have taken the prettiest swing of the series later in the inning, connecting on a high-and- outside fastball and pulling it over the right-field bullpen for a two-run homer. It was his first extra-base hit since returning from the disabled list.
“I just think it was a changeup, maybe caught it out front a little bit,” Bradley said of his 15th homer of the year. “A fastball maybe I’d hit it to center or left. It was away, but maybe the elevated changeup, the speed of the ball dictated me catching out front. I usually take those to left.”
Credit Eduardo Nunez for manufacturing a run in the first inning. He singled and stole second, tagged up on a shallow fly ball to right field and then scored on a groundout.
That’s what the Red Sox had been doing against these Jays, a group that has looked disinterested in playing defense for the greater part of a month and continues to give up 90-feet freebies.
The Sox entered the series with 24 stolen bases against the Jays, the most of any team against a single opponent this year. They stole once on Tuesday, then four more last night.
“It’s a vital part of our game for sure,” said Bradley, who stole his eighth of the season. “That’s going to help us manufacture runs in close games, late games, put pressure on defenses and hopefully continue to move people over.”
The return of the offense was a happy sight for the Fenway crowd, but the fans seemed much more interested in cheering on Fister as he threw another beauty. This time he went seven innings and allowing just four hits.
Looking masterful with a sharp sinker, Fister fired his fourth straight start of at least seven innings while allowing five hits or less in each of them. In seven starts since rejoining the rotation in place of David Price, Fister has a 2.79 ERA.
“He’s pitching really special,” Bradley said. “It’s been fun to play behind him.”
The Yankees were rained out yesterday, so the Sox pushed their lead to four games in the AL East with 22 left to play.
Dustin Pedroia shrugs off signal-stealing case
Michael Silverman
Dustin Pedroia is shocked — shocked — to hear the Red Sox are involved in a sign-stealing kerfuffle.
“It’s baseball, it’s part of the game. It’s been around a long time. I mean, we were doing that at Douglas Junior High School where I played, so I don’t think this should be news to everybody,” Pedroia said before last night’s game against the Blue Jays.
Pedroia pleaded ignorance about the fact the Sox are accused of a clear violation for stealing signs from the Yankees because they did it with the aid of Apple Watches in the dugout.
“I don’t really know what the rule book says on that. I know we have iPads in the dugout,” Pedroia said. “Are we not supposed to have iPads in there?”
Plus he downplayed being named as one of the participants in the cabal in Tuesday’s New York Times article that broke the story.
“So obviously I’ve played against the Yankees for 11 years,” Pedroia said. “It’s part of the game, so our adjustment to that stuff is to go out to the mound and change the signs. So we just keep it at that.”
Pedroia took a jab at the photographs he saw accompanying the article as well as one used with a ComcastSports New England report that said the Yankees thought the mouth guard Sox pitcher Doug Fister had around his ear was a listening device.
“They had a good picture of me, Brock (Holt) and (Chris Young) hanging out, though, I do know that. And I was talking to the trainer about what time I’m rehabbing the next day because I’m on the DL,” Pedroia said. “And they had a nice one of Doug with an ear piece in. It was his mouth guard. So I mean, it’s baseball, man. We already played them 19 times. They beat us how many, 11?
“I’m not going to cry to anybody about it. That’s baseball. Right now we’re playing the Blue Jays, we’re focused on that ,and whatever is talked about is talked about. You can’t control that. We’re just going to try to play the game we love and play to win, and that’s what our organization does.”
The flap is not getting under the dense skin of Pedroia.
“No, nothing bothers me, man,” said Pedroia. “Like you know, playing in this environment, you kind of have to have thick skin and turn the page on whatever is being said because a lot of it is just talk and that’s it. I mean, you just go play. It’s baseball.
“We’re here to play baseball games. We’ve got a 3.5-game lead in our division. Other than that, nobody gives a (expletive). We’re trying to win baseball games.”
The matter, which includes a complaint from the Red Sox to the commissioner about the Yankees stealing signs, is under investigation by Major League Baseball.
Manager John Farrell, who said he was unaware of the electronic side to the team’s effort to steal signs, added the team is conducting its internal investigation as well as to how and why this plan was hatched.
“It’s ongoing,” Farrell said. “I get the question, certainly, and yet to give you details or specifics, we’re not there yet because it is still ongoing, both at our level and the league level, and (we) understand some of the perception that’s out there because of it. That’s as much as I can comment on right now.”
In an email to the Herald, Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy praised the way both Farrell and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski have dealt with the matter.
“Dave and John handled this clubhouse matter swiftly and appropriately when it was brought to their attention a few weeks ago,” Kennedy said. “Typically, these things are handled between general managers. Since this has become a league matter, we are cooperating fully with MLB as they investigate both complaints.”
Doug Fister looks like an ace for Red Sox now
Michael Silverman
When spring training began, the Red Sox had three aces: Chris Sale, David Price and Rick Porcello.
When the All-Star break hit, they were down to one, Sale.
Now, with three weeks to go, Sale still is an ace but one who’s also been fading (4.57 ERA since Aug. 1).
The good news is there’s one more starter on the Red Sox staff who can lay claim to the ace label.
The difference between Doug Fister and Sale is the former doesn’t need any qualifiers. Fister is the real thing, people, and last night’s gem — his fourth consecutive start of seven-plus innings allowing two or fewer runs — should be enough to cement his status as the closest thing to a sure thing the Red Sox can put on the mound at this point in the season.
If you’ve been waiting for his pixie dust to wear off, you can hit pause because 33-year-old veterans with Fister’s resume are not flukes when they go on runs like this one.
His arm is relatively fresh, and he has a 4-2 record and 2.60 ERA in nine postseason appearances, eight of them starts.
It’s not just his past four starts, in which he has allowed only five earned runs in 29 innings (that’s a 1.55 ERA). Fister started a little slow, but his overall ERA after 10 starts this season is 3.61. He’s not going to receive any Cy Young votes like Sale, but that’s irrelevant when it comes to the Red Sox’ 2017 team goals.
What he has done is inject himself into the conversation as one of the pillars the Red Sox will lean on when their almost likely playoff run begins.
“It’s a process, and (I’m) trying to keep continually moving in the right direction,” Fister said. “As the first inning showed, I’ve still got a lot of work to do, but (I’m) still heading in the right direction.”
If by “I’ve still got a lot of work to do” Fister means he needs to stop giving up runs in the first inning like he did last night — and in each of his other three first innings in the past four starts, meaning he has given up zero runs in 26 of his innings after the first — he’s being his usual modest self.
Tweaking that habit seems like an awfully short to-do list.
“You know, he gets in the rhythm of the game, it takes him an inning, it takes him an inning to find his release point,” manager John Farrell said. “It’s been uncanny how similar the beginning of games are and how he finishes out. I think, to me, it’s more finding that release point, and then he stays out of the middle of the plate, and then he gets a feel for that curveball, which is, as we’ve come to find out, that’s a key pitch for him.”
Fister has a judo black belt when it comes to deflecting attention from himself and reflecting it back to his teammates.
Considering the team needed him to go deep after the bullpen was exhausted by Tuesday night’s 19-inning marathon, the respect is mutual.
“The boys were tired,” Fister said. “That’s a 19-inning ballgame. That’s a lot of time on the field and not a lot of time to rest.”
With the track sloppy from a misty, driving rain, Fister pitched as if conditions were excellent.
“There was times where it was a little sloppy and a little bit slippery, but for the most part, the field crew did an excellent job keeping it ready,” Fister said. “College coach once told me, ‘You’ve just gotta be a mudder. You’ve just gotta go out there and dig and battle and do what you have to do.’ So that’s one of those things that everyone is playing with it, and their pitcher has to pitch in it too. So take it for what it’s worth. You just have to go out and do it.”
Fister’s doing it all right, and at this time in the season when the Red Sox have sputtered against the Yankees and their hold on the AL East has been in jeopardy of evaporating given how much their level of play has deteriorated, it’s been Fister, not Sale, who continually has come to their rescue.
“Credit to Doug Fister, plain and simple,” Farrell said. “I think he’s gained a lot of confidence each time he’s taken the mound in the rotation. We’ve talked about the adjustments he had to make, and (he) did those, and he’s gone out and pitched as a veteran does. (He) knows himself, knows how to navigate traffic when it’s on the base paths. You love the body language, the mound presence and the conviction to the pitches. So he has earned that trust by the way he’s gone out and pitched.”
In a way unlike anyone else right now, in Fister, the Red Sox trust.
Red Sox notebook: David Price’s rehab progresses, set to face live hitters Saturday
Jason Mastrodonato
It might be time for the Red Sox to get enthused about David Price.
Price is scheduled to face hitters in simulated-game fashion during a throwing session off the mound at Fenway Park before Saturday’s 7:10 p.m. game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
It just so happens that Chris Sale is pitching that night for the Sox, so they’ll get to see both of their prized lefties throw on the same day.
After another rocky stint on the disabled list, Price is once again starting to get into a groove as he tries to recover from lingering issues in what he’s termed “a torn elbow” in his left arm.
“The last week, he’s gotten on the mound three times and has maintained the stuff,” manager John Farrell said before last night’s 6-1 win over the Blue Jays. “That’s what’s most encouraging. For the first (session) in New York to the two here, they’ve been very strong, very positive, now that he’s thrown his secondary pitches with good intensity, all positive trend.”
The Sox have not been tracking Price’s velocity, but “to the eye test, it’s very close” to normal, Farrell said.
Price will throw two simulated innings totaling about 30 pitches on Saturday.
If the Red Sox then decide to put Price on a five-day schedule, and it is assumed he would need at least two more simulated games before he’s ready to pitch in a game — an aggressive hypothetical schedule — he could return to the rotation as soon as Sept. 22 in Cincinnati against the Reds.
But the Red Sox aren’t quite ready to start marking dates on a calendar. There’s also the matter of who Price would replace in the rotation, if he’s even stretched out enough to start, given that the only starter who has struggled of late is Rick Porcello, last year’s Cy Young Award winner.
The Sox will wait to see how Price comes out of Saturday’s outing before setting any kind of schedule.
Said Farrell: “When you start to incorporate the up and down and maybe a little bit more intensity, just by the sheer fact that the hitters will be swinging the bat, there’s a competitive element that starts to kick in. We’ll see how he responds.”
Pedroia OK, in at DH
Dustin Pedroia dove to his right side, spun around and tried to push himself up with his left knee, but fell right back to the ground while making a play during the Sox’ 3-2 19th-inning win over the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday night.
He was removed after playing 10 innings, but even though his surgically repaired knee has caused him two trips to the disabled list this season, he said he is fine.
“He came out of it, actually, after 10 innings he was still in pretty good shape in terms of how his knee was holding up for the duration,” Farrell said.
Pedroia said his knee is “feeling all right, man. Still building up. So far, so good.”
He was back in the lineup last night, but with the rainy conditions, Eduardo Nunez played at second base with Pedroia batting second as the designated hitter. Hanley Ramirez was on the bench.
With the tarp covering the infield during some pregame rain and more precipitation falling during the game, Farrell said he was leery of putting Pedroia at risk on a wet field. Pedroia went 0-for-2 with a walk at DH before being lifted in the sixth inning with the Sox ahead, 5-1.
Rafael Devers was back in the lineup after being held out for two days following his first big league slump. Back to seventh in the order, he was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Sandy Leon did the catching for Doug Fister.
Foes fearing Benny
Andrew Benintendi drew his 64th walk of the season last night — the most by a Red Sox rookie since 1966, when George Scott (65) and Joe Foy (91) each had impressive debut seasons.
One theory why Benintendi is walking so much? Opposing pitchers don’t want to face him.
“I think it’s as much a reflection of the way teams are game-planning against us, because of the August he’s had,” Farrell said. “Let’s face it, we get who’s hot, who’s not and who are you going to pick to attack in tight situations. That might be more revealing that ‘don’t mess with him, go to the next guy.’ ”
Vazquez’ heart in PR
Christian Vazquez may have been out of the starting lineup last night, but he still had a lot on his mind.
His family in Puerto Rico is safe from Hurricane Irma, he said, but he’s thinking about them.
“They’re going to be fine,” he said of his family, which is riding out the storm in their house in the city of Bayamon. “It’s supposed to stay (over the island) through 1 o’clock tomorrow, like 18 hours.”
Still award-worthy
Porcello is having one of his worst seasons on the field, but he was honored for his work off the field in a pregame ceremony acknowledging him as Red Sox’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which celebrates sportsmanship and community involvement. Porcello donated $1 million to his high school alma mater, Seton Hall Prep, donated $20,000 to St. John’s University’s baseball and is a supporter of Team Joseph, a charity that helps find treatments and cures for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
* The Providence Journal
Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 1: Boston follows Tuesday marathon with Wednesday stroll
Bill Koch
BOSTON --- There was talk of a turning point for the Boston Red Sox following Tuesday night’s marathon win over Toronto.
Eight losses in 12 games saw Boston’s lead in the American League East whittled down to 2½ games over the New York Yankees. The Red Sox were hoping for a spark after Hanley Ramirez drove in Mookie Betts to walk off in the bottom of the 19th inning.
The only way for Boston to truly change its fortunes, however, was to follow up that victory with another. And another. And, ideally, another.
Consider the first step taken on Wednesday. Doug Fister turned in seven strong innings, Jackie Bradley Jr. provided the knockout blow at the plate with a two-run homer and the Red Sox beat both the raindrops and the Blue Jays, 6-1, at Fenway Park.
This was exactly the kind of light work Boston could use entering Thursday’s scheduled off day. Toronto languishes in the division’s basement and trotted out a lineup that saw regulars Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Kevin Pillar all rested. It was a shadow of the club that ripped three home runs off Rick Porcello and breezed to a 10-4 win in Monday’s series opener, and the Red Sox took full advantage.
“Being able to mentally tough out that long game and come back, I feel like we had some momentum coming into today,” Bradley said. “We just tried not to think about the weather, compete and perform to our best.”
Fister turned in a fourth straight sharp outing, entering on the back of just four earned runs allowed in his previous 23 innings. A bases-loaded walk to Miguel Montero in the first was the lone blemish, as Fister scattered four hits and struck out a season-high nine. Toronto put just two more baserunners into scoring position over Fister’s final six innings, and Ryan Goins was stranded at third twice in the second and seventh.
“You love the body language and the mound presence and the conviction to the pitches,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “He has earned that trust the way he’s gone out and pitched.”
“He works really fast,” Bradley said. “He attacks the strike zone. He’s getting outs when he needs to. That’s what you want.”
There certainly didn’t appear to be any tired legs in the Red Sox lineup, this despite wrapping up a 3-2 win in the middle game of the series about 18 hours before the scheduled start of the finale. Eduardo Nunez and Mookie Betts each singled and stole second base in the first, with Nunez scoring on Andrew Benintendi’s grounder to second. The game remained tied at 1-1 until Boston did its real damage in the fourth, breaking this one open.
“I think we came out with good energy,” Farrell said. “When we run the bases and have success like that, I think there’s an energy we draw from that.”
The go-ahead rally started innocently enough, as Mitch Moreland drew a leadoff walk. Xander Bogaerts lashed an RBI triple down the line in right and Rafael Devers sliced an RBI single to left, making it 3-1. Bradley handled the next two runs all by himself, snapping an 0-for-12 skid with a towering drive off Blue Jays starter Joe Biagini into the Red Sox bullpen.
“I was fortunate enough to hit it hard a couple times tonight,” Bradley said. “Hopefully that continues and they find some holes.”
With the Yankees and Baltimore postponed by rain, Boston moved back out to a four-game lead in the division. Red Sox pitching has allowed just one run in its last 23 innings, with the bullpen extending its scoreless string to 15 1/3 after Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes followed Fister with clean frames. Boston sandwiches two rest days around a three-game weekend series with Tampa Bay, perhaps the perfect respite before entering a stretch run that should carry past the Oct. 1 regular season finale with Houston.
“It’s definitely a fun time of year,” Fister said. “Getting anxious for what may be to come, but continually working every day. We’ve got a job to do each and every day.”
Red Sox Journal: Encouraging sign for David Price
Bill Koch
BOSTON — David Price is one step closer to facing live hitters.
The Red Sox left-hander threw his second 30-pitch bullpen session of the week before Wednesday night’s game against Toronto. Boston manager John Farrell said Price again featured all of his pitches — fastball, breaking ball and changeup — and his velocity appeared “very close” to game ready.
The Red Sox plan to have Price throw a pair of simulated innings before Saturday’s game against Tampa Bay.
“We’d probably look to break up the 30 pitches with the two simulated innings, including a warmup,” Farrell said. “There will be an increase in the total number of pitches thrown.”
Price (elbow) has gradually increased his workload, throwing off the mound during the weekend series against the Yankees and again on Monday. It was his fourth session since landing on the disabled list July 28. Price hasn’t made a start since six days earlier, a 7-3 loss in Anaheim against the Angels in which he was tagged for seven hits and five earned runs in five innings.
“The last week he’s gotten on the mound three times and has maintained the stuff,” Farrell said. “That’s been the most encouraging.”
Whether or not Price can contribute down the stretch and in the postseason is anybody’s guess. His disappointing playoff past includes an 0-8 record in nine starts, with Price hammered for 60 hits and 38 earned runs in 58 innings.
Betts leads the way
It hasn’t been a season worthy of Most Valuable Player consideration for Mookie Betts.
His breakthrough 2016 season in which he finished runner-up to Angels outfielder Mike Trout included 214 hits, a league-best 359 total bases and an .897 OPS. Betts also won a Gold Glove for his stellar defense in right field and utilized his speed to swipe 26 bases.
That varied skill set makes Betts the most natural catalyst in the Boston lineup, and he had the entire arsenal on display in Tuesday’s 3-2, 19-inning marathon win over the Blue Jays.
“He’s such an instinctual player and he’s extremely confident,” Farrell said. “And we haven’t even talked about the diving catch in right field [to rob Richard Urena of extra bases in the third inning].”
Betts scored the winning run on Hanley Ramirez’s flare to shallow center, breaking on contact and crossing the plate standing up. His baserunning savvy was evident in the bottom of the ninth, as he moved to third on a Ramirez chopper to the left side and scored the tying run on Mitch Moreland’s grounder to second.
“It’s not only hitting sometimes,” Ramirez said. “Anything to help the team win — that really was unbelievable.”
Betts stung line drives in four of his eight plate appearances, including a double to left in the ninth, a single off the Green Monster in the 16th and another double to left in the 19th. It was his first three-hit game since Aug. 16 and just his second multiple-hit game in his last 19.
“You just have to stay strong mentally,” Betts said. “Wherever the mind goes the body follows. We were able to tough it out.”
Day off for some
Three Red Sox relievers who contributed to Tuesday night’s victory weren’t expected to be available on Wednesday night.
Right-handers Austin Maddox, Brandon Workman and Carson Smith combined for five of the bullpen’s 13 scoreless frames, the first time that has been done in franchise history. The Red Sox became the first American League team to have 11 relievers pitch scoreless baseball in the same game, shutting down Toronto after starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed two earned runs through the first six innings.
“Every guy from the seventh inning on made key pitches,” Farrell said. “They had power stuff.”
Maddox had logged 7 2/3 scoreless innings over his first six major league appearances. The 26-year-old started the season with Double-A Portland and pitched to a combined 2.92 ERA in 37 minor league games in 2017.
“He’s had his own personal challenges that he’s gone through to get to this level,” Farrell said. “Because of those and the journey along the way he’s a pretty headstrong person.”
Workman and Smith are at different stages of their recovery from Tommy John surgery. Workman’s velocity has rebounded back to the 92-mph fastball average he displayed in 2013 while Smith continues to wait for his own spike after averaging nearly 94 mph with Seattle in 2014. His first Boston appearance since May 14, 2016 resulted in a scoreless 18th, including a strikeout of Jose Bautista.
“It didn’t really hit me until I started running in to pitch,” Smith said. “I’ve thrown pitches in that bullpen this year already. Going back out on the mound, entering the game, it definitely hit me.”
* The Springfield Republican
Bradley Jr. hits 15th homer of season for Boston Red Sox with hopes of returning to pre-injury form
Jen McCaffrey
BOSTON - Before missing 10 games in late August with a left thumb sprain, Jackie Bradley Jr. had started to heat up again.
The center fielder went 10-for-30 (.333) with a triple, homer and 10 RBIs in the 10 games leading up to his injury on Aug. 22 when he sprained his thumb on a slide home in Cleveland.
Bradley has only been back in the Red Sox lineup for five games, but a key two-run homer in the fourth, was proof he's starting to find his swing again after the layoff.
"It was good to see him drive the baseball like that," manager John Farrell said.
The game was tied 1-1 in the fourth when Boston scored two runs to take a 3-1 lead. Bradley's two-run homer, his 15th homer of the season, gave the Red Sox insurance.
"When you're hitting the ball it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a breakthrough but you like the feeling of hitting a ball hard," he said. "And fortunate enough to hit it hard a couple times tonight. Hopefully that continues."
Bradley likely won't finish the regular season with the 26 homers he had last year, but he's put together a productive year at the plate despite some ups and downs.
Through 112 games, he's hit .257 with a .762 OPS, 18 doubles, three triples and 15 homers.
"You reflect on the season after it's completely done but I'd definitely like to play better," he said.
Defense will always be Bradley's calling card, but he continues to make strides toward consistency at the plate.
Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr. lead Boston Red Sox to win over Toronto Blue Jays
Christopher Smith
BOSTON -- Xander Bogaerts entered today batting .193 with a .273 on-base percentage, .285 slugging percentage and .558 OPS over his previous 56 games.
So it had to have felt nice for him to line an opposite-field RBI triple off Blue Jays starter Joe Biagini into the right-field corner to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning.
Rafael Devers knocked in Bogaerts with an RBI single to left. Then Jackie Bradley Jr. bashed a two-run homer as part of a four-run fourth-inning.
The Red Sox beat Toronto 6-1 here at Fenway Park to take the three-game series, 2-1.
Bradley's homer marked just his third blast of the second half and his first since Aug. 22, the day in Cleveland he sprained his left thumb and then spent the next 10 days on the disabled list.
Bradley also has slumped. He entered today with a .218/.288/.299/.588 line and just seven extra-base hits in the second half.
FISTER DOMINATES AGAIN
Doug Fister went 7 innings, allowing just one run, four hits and three walks while striking out nine.
Fister has a 2.79 ERA in his past seven starts (15 ER, 48 1/3 innings).
Dustin Pedroia says he's been stealing signs since junior high school
Jen McCaffrey
BOSTON - A day after news broke on an MLB investigation into the elaborate sign-stealing scheme by the Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia, seemed unfazed.
Pedroia, who reportedly was one of the players passing signs along to teammates, didn't have much to say when asked he thoughts on the investigation.
"They had a good picture of me, Brock (Holt), and CY (Chris Young) hanging out though. I do know that," Pedroia said of the evidence the Yankees passed onto MLB of the sign-stealing. "I was talking to the trainer about what time I'm rehabbing the next day because I'm on the DL, I was on the DL. And they had a nice one of Doug with an ear piece in. It was his mouthguard."
"So I mean, it's baseball, man. We already played them 19 times," Pedroia added. "They beat us how many, 11? They beat us. I'm not going to cry to anybody about it. That's baseball. Right now we're playing the Blue Jays, we're focused on that, and whatever is talked about is talked about. You can't control that. We're just going to try to play the game we love and play to win and that's what our organization does."
The issue MLB has with the Red Sox is not with the sign-stealing specifically, but the use of technology to do so. The Red Sox reportedly had video replay staff in the clubhouse text trainers wearing Apple Watches in the dugout. Players, like Pedroia, then relayed info to batters with signals.
Pedroia said sign-stealing has always been a part of baseball for him.
"We were doing that at Douglass Jr. High School where I played, so I don't think this should be news to everybody," he said.
David Price, Red Sox LHP, to throw to hitters Saturday for first time since being placed on DL
Christopher Smith
BOSTON -- Red Sox lefty David Price threw a 30-pitch bullpen session today, using his entire repertoire.
He's expected to face hitters Saturday for the first time since the Red Sox placed him on the DL.
"Right now we'd probably look to break up the 30 pitches into two simulated innings, including a warmup," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "So there will be an increase in the total number of pitches thrown. But two simulated innings."
Today marked Price's fourth bullpen session.
He threw a 20-pitch bullpen session consisting of all fastballs in Toronto last Wednesday.
He threw his second bullpen session Friday. It consisted of 29 pitches. He threw only fastballs and changeups. He threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Monday using all his pitches.
"(He) has maintained the stuff. That's what's most encouraging," Farrell said. "From the first one in New York to the two here, they've been very strong, very positive. And now that he's throwing his secondary pitches with good intensity, all positive trend."
The Red Sox haven't tracked his fastball velocity. They might to do it Saturday.
"To the eye test, it's very close," Farrell said.
The Red Sox placed Price on the 10-day disabled list July 28 (retroactive to July 25) with left elbow inflammation. He spent the first 49 games of this season on the disabled list with an elbow strain.
* The Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Red Sox’ 19-inning win was an emotional lift
Bill Ballou
BOSTON — It was statistically one game, one victory, but emotionally like sweeping a doubleheader.
“When you lose, it feels like two losses,” John Farrell said Wednesday afternoon, looking back on his team’s 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays in 19 innings less than 24 hours before.
It was historic in being the second-longest game in terms of innings in Fenway Park history, and was the longest continuous game in the 106-year history of the ballpark. The 20-inning game against Seattle in September 1981, an 8-7 loss, was played in two parts. The teams were tied 7-7 after 19 innings when it was called at 1:17 a.m. due to curfew.
They played one inning the next day before the regularly scheduled game.
The Sox have played two longer home games than that, but both were at the old Huntington Ave. Grounds. Boston lost to the Philadelphia A’s, 4-2, in 20 innings on July 4, 1905 and lost again to the Athletics again about a year later, 4-1, in 24 innings. Worth noting — both Sox starters in those games pitched complete games, Cy Young in ’05 and Joe Harris in 1906.
That’s right — a 24-inning complete game loss. Harris was a starter in 1906, but was later Fireman of the Year, a real one. He worked as a firefighter in Melrose after retiring from baseball.
On Tuesday night Boston employed 12 different pitchers, including 11 in relief, to set a team record and tie a major league record. They combined to throw 287 pitches, third-most in team history since it became a published stat around 1987. Sox hurlers threw 297 pitches on May 6, 2012 in a 9-6 loss to the Orioles in 17 innings. They threw 296 in 19 innings at Yankee Stadium on April 10, 2015. That was a 6-5 victory.
The teams combined for 544 pitches, not a Fenway record. That Mariners game in 2001 featured 548 pitches although that number is unofficial.
Oh, and the 12 pitchers used by Farrell? That is one more than Boston employed for the entire 1976 season, the last time the Sox used fewer than 12 for a year.
Two Red Sox batters went 0-for-7, Mitch Moreland and Jackie Bradley Jr. Moreland also grounded into a double play, accounting for eight outs. Neither quite made the Sox unofficial record for biggest 0-for performances. That mark would be held by Trot Nixon, who was 0-for-9 on July 9, 2006 against the White Sox in Chicago. That was a 6-5 loss in 19 innings.
Mike Napoli was 0-for-8 on April 10, 2015 as were Adrian Gonzalez on May 6, 2012 and Jacoby Ellsbury on July 16, 2011.
Not one of the Red Sox relievers had to deal with an inherited runner in the bullpen’s 13 innings of work, and Boston batters were 11-for-63 (.175) with no homers.
The game marked the 2017 debut of reliever Carson Smith, latest in a long line of Smiths who have pitched for Boston. The Sox have had 20 Smiths overall and each of the last five have been pitchers, the most recent before Carson being Chris Smith in 2008.
The winning pitcher, Hector Velazquez, improved his record to 3-1 overall with the decision. Velazquez has interesting splits. He is 0-1 with a 6.97 ERA as a starter, 3-0 with a 0.00 earned run average in relief. Velazquez has allowed 14 hits, eight runs and four homers in 10 1/3 innings in the rotation, four hits and no runs in 8 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.
Lost in the outcome was a strong starting effort by Eduardo Rodriguez, who allowed only two runs in six innings. It was his best performance since Aug. 11 in New York where he blanked the Yankees on two hits through six innings, then suffered a blown save by Joe Kelly.
However, it turned out to be a no-decision for Rodriguez, extending his winless streak to 11 straight starts. He is 0-4 with seven no-decisions in those games.
At six hours exactly, the game that started Tuesday night was the second longest in Fenway history in terms of time. The leader in that category is the Orioles game of May 6, 2012, which went 6:07, proving that in this case anyway, it can take less time to win than to lose.
* RedSox.com
Sox win set with Jays, increase AL East lead
Ian Browne and Gregor Chisholm
BOSTON -- There's no room for fatigue in a pennant race. Fresh off a 19-inning comeback win on Tuesday, the Red Sox were right back at it on Wednesday night, riding another stellar outing from Doug Fister and a balanced offensive attack to a 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays in the rubber game at Fenway Park.
The Sox (79-61) extended their lead to four games over the Yankees, who were rained out against the Orioles, in the American League East just two days after the lead was slimmed to 2 1/2 games.
"It's in our hands," Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. said. "We just have to continue to play good baseball and control what we can control, and not worry about anything else."
Boston's bats came alive for four runs in the fourth, including a two-run homer by Bradley.
Fister allowed one run in the first. Over seven innings, the veteran righty gave up four hits while walking three and striking out nine. In seven starts since replacing the injured David Price in the rotation, Fister is 5- 2 with a 2.79 ERA. This was the fourth straight start he has given up two earned runs or fewer.
"It's definitely a fun time of year," Fister said. "We're getting anxious for what may be to come, but the key is to just keep working every day. We have a job to do each and every day and the boys had a late night last night, pulled that one out, did very well, and came out tonight and fought through the game."
Eduardo Nunez and Rafael Devers had two hits each to pace a nine-hit attack for the Red Sox. "I think we came out with good energy," manager John Farrell said. "When we run the bases and have success like that, I think there's an energy that we draw from that, and I think at the same time it gives the opposition a lot more to contend with."
The only RBI for the Blue Jays was on a bases-loaded walk by Miguel Montero in the first. Right-hander Joe Biagini took the loss after he allowed five runs on six hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings. The subpar outing followed a seven-inning scoreless start vs. the Orioles as he continues to experience a lot of inconsistency in the rotation.
"I feel like my stuff can translate, I feel like I have made some good pitches, but it just wasn't as consistent as I would have liked," Biagini said. "I think that's just the theme of this whole season for me … I try to appreciate the opportunity, appreciate the chance to pitch and contribute. … But that's a good team that we're playing and there were some pitches here and there that could have been better."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Bogaerts with key triple: With the game tied at 1 in the fourth, Xander Bogaerts sliced one into the corner in right for a triple that brought Mitch Moreland home from first. It was just the second extra-base hit for Bogaerts in his last 27 at-bats, and perhaps a sign that he's ready to get back into a groove following a prolonged slump.
Fister escapes first: The only time Fister looked shaky all night was the top of the first, when he allowed two hits and a pair of walks, the latter of which forced in a run. But with the bases loaded and two out, Fister got out of the 23-pitch inning allowing just the one run. More >
"First inning was a bit of a struggle for me," Fister said. "I was having trouble locating the sinker down and in to the lefties, and that kind of caused me some issues. I finally had to make some adjustments, I was getting a little leaky and getting in front of the plate too much. After that, I started figuring it out a little bit."
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Red Sox stole four bases to give them 29 against the Blue Jays in 16 games this season. It is the second-most steals by any team against the Blue Jays, topped only by the 1992 Brewers, who stole 32. Boston is 24-1 this season when it steals multiple bases.
The Blue Jays scored one run or fewer for the 27th time this season, dropping to 0-27 in those games.
WHAT'S NEXT Blue Jays: After an off-day on Thursday, the Blue Jays open a three-game series against the Tigers at 7:07 p.m. ET on Friday night at Rogers Centre. Right-hander Marcus Stroman is tentatively projected to start, but he was struck on the right elbow by a line drive during his last start and has yet to be fully cleared to pitch. Toronto could move lefty Brett Anderson's start up one day if Stroman is unable to go.
Red Sox: Left-hander Drew Pomeranz will try to avenge his first loss since June 11 when the Red Sox open a three-game series against the Rays at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday night at Fenway Park. Pomeranz is 1-1 with a 6.08 ERA in three starts against the Rays this season.
Fister rises to occasion for Red Sox rotation
Ian Browne
BOSTON -- If a rocky first inning can spell potential trouble for some pitchers, it has become a quirky good-luck charm for resurgent right-hander Doug Fister, who pitched the Red Sox to a 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
For four consecutive starts, Fister has gone out and dominated, going 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA.
There have been two commonalities in the four starts. The first is that Fister struggles in the first inning, allowing either a run or two. The second is that he doesn't allow any runs the rest of the way.
Red Sox manager John Farrell has seen it enough times that he didn't worry when Fister grinded threw a 23-pitch first inning against the Blue Jays that included two hits and two walks, the latter of which forced in a run.
"You know, he gets in the rhythm of the game," Farrell said. "It takes him an inning. It takes him an inning to find his release point. It's been uncanny how similar the beginning of games are and how he finishes out. I think, to me, it's more finding that release point and then he stays out of the middle of the plate, and then he gets a feel for that curveball, which is, as we've come to find out, that's a key pitch for him."
Coming off a 19-inning win on Tuesday, the Red Sox badly needed innings from Wednesday's starter, and Fister gave them seven, allowing four hits with a season-high nine strikeouts.
"I think the curveball was a little sharper tonight, but our focus is go out there and get ground balls," Fister said. "And that's exactly what [catcher Sandy Leon] and I had talked about pregame. Go out there and get soft contact early on, and stay with the ground ball. Sometimes in situations, you kind of look to expand the zone and try and get the strikeout. But most of the time it's try and attack, and it just worked out that way tonight."
And what about the continued habit of worming his way out of trouble in the first and then cruising the rest of the way?
"Things just kind of played out that way," Fister said. "I've struggled the first one. Whatever that cause is, I need to fix that, but Sandy is doing a great job back there changing signs on the fly, being able to read hitters and kind of adjusting from our game plan. It's kind of a whole team effort for us."
Fister has made seven starts since replacing the injured David Price in the rotation, going 5-2 with a 2.79 ERA. During that time, the Red Sox have gone from a half-game out of first place in the American League East to a four-game lead over the Yankees.
"He's pitched really special," center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. said. "It's been a lot of fun playing behind him. He works really fast. He attacks the strike zone. He's getting outs when he needs to. That's what you want in a pitcher."
Considering that Fister was a waiver pickup from the Angels on June 23, his performance level has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season. It is now easy to envision Fister getting starts in the postseason. "That's the furthest thing from my mind right now," he said. "It's just focusing each and every day, knowing that every fifth day, I've got to go out there and execute."
And aside from those slight mishaps in the first inning, the execution has been pinpoint.
Price slated to throw sim game on Saturday
Ian Browne
BOSTON -- After throwing his fourth bullpen session in the span of a week on Wednesday, Red Sox left- hander David Price now has his next target in sight for a comeback that is starting to build some momentum.
Price is likely to throw a simulated game of two innings and 30 pitches on Saturday at Fenway Park. This will mark the first time Price has faced hitters since his start against the Angels on July 22.
Price is on the disabled list for the second time this season with a left elbow injury, but he has started to turn a corner in the last week, making it more realistic he can pitch again this season.
"I think that's the key, the last week he's gotten on the mound [four] times and has maintained the stuff," manager John Farrell said. "That's what's most encouraging. For the first one in New York to the two here, they've been very strong, very positive now that he's thrown his secondary pitches with good intensity. It's all a positive trend."
Though the Red Sox don't track velocity in the bullpen, Farrell is encouraged by what he's been watching. "To the eye test, it's very close," Farrell said, when asked how hard Price is throwing compared to normal.
If Price starts to build back up on a five-day routine of sim games without setbacks, he could probably get back to the six-to-seven-inning range by the last week of the regular season. There's also a chance the Red Sox could have him pitch in relief to speed up his return, though no discussions have taken place along those lines yet.
Sale, Kluber on collision course for Cy Young
Phil Rogers
CHICAGO -- Campaign season is starting to get going around baseball, and the postseason is still almost a month away.
Yet it's safe to say you are about to read Chris Sale and Corey Kluber's names together in a lot of the same sentences. The American League's two best pitchers are on a collision course for the American League Cy Young Award, although they'd be the last people to point it out.
"I think we're taking it a day at a time, a game at a time,'' Kluber said Wednesday. "If you start looking toward whoever we're going to play in the playoffs with 20-some games left, we're getting ahead of ourselves. First, we have to make the playoffs. There's a lot of time, a lot of games left for things to happen. Trying to predict this far out who we're going to play and that kind of stuff is sort of a waste of time, I guess.''
That's our job, Corey.
"Yeah, exactly.''
How Sale and Kluber pitch in their remaining regular-season starts -- beginning with Kluber's outing against the White Sox on Thursday night -- will determine if Kluber's superior second half can offset Sale's remarkable first half. Then, after ballots have been cast, they'll more than likely face each other on Oct. 5 in Game 1 of the AL Division Series (and again, if necessary, in the deciding Game 5).
Given that Sale spent his first seven seasons with the White Sox, you'd think there would be a vault of footage from Sale-Kluber showdowns in the AL Central. But there's not much history between the two. They've faced each other only once, in 2015. This will be the fourth year in a row that both of them have earned Cy Young votes, with Sale finishing a distant third in 2014 when Kluber won ahead of Felix Hernandez. Sale played a huge role in helping the Red Sox build the AL's second-best record after his first 17 starts, going 11-3 with a 2.61 ERA. He was an easy pick to start the All-Star Game but hasn't maintained that consistency in the second half, going 2-3 with a 4.57 ERA in his last seven outings.
While Sale leads the AL in innings (189 2/3) and strikeouts (270), Kluber is first in ERA (2.56) and WHIP (0.90). He used a strong finish to pass Hernandez en route to his first Cy Young and seems to be on that path again, going 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA in his last seven starts. He's 14-4 with a 2.56 ERA in his 24 starts; Sale is 15-7 with a 2.85 ERA in 28 starts.
Both Kluber and Sale are conditioning freaks, but there's a reason Kluber is known as the "Klubot." it seems his trademark automaton method better fits the marathon season.
Sale has a 2.74 career ERA before the All-Star break -- 67 points better than Kluber's -- but the Tribe's ace has historically lowered his in the second half, while Sale has a 3.28 ERA since the All-Star break.
Francona marvels at the preparation that allows Kluber to consistently dominate hitters with the wicked slider he sets up with fastballs that rarely hit 95 mph.
"These guys probably get tired of me saying it, but his routines are impeccable,'' Francona said. "His tank doesn't look like it's half-empty. You see a lot of pitchers this time of year, you're trying to get them extra rest, get them through the year. The only time I've seen him when he looked a little tired was the last game of [last] year, and he had pitched on short rest a couple of times. He wouldn't have been human if he wasn't tired.''
Kluber's six starts for the Indians actually included three on short rest, including Game 7 against the Cubs. He threw 249 1/3 innings overall, which had to contribute at least a little bit to the back pain that sidelined him for four starts in May.
If anything, that break could make him stronger this October.
"The way he prepares, he never looks tired,'' Francona said. "He may be tired, but he doesn't look it. His routines are so impeccable -- that's the right word -- when the game comes around he just goes and does his thing. He always has something to fall back on because he works so hard. ''
While the Indians have a double-digit lead in the AL Central, Kluber says it's too soon to think about October, although he does admit he'd feel good if it was about to arrive. The Indians are rolling and have five starters pitching well.
"There's still a long ways to go,'' Kluber said. "There's no saying that where we are right now is where we are going to be when playoffs begin, if we're fortunate enough to get there. Hopefully that's the case and we can ride out this momentum until we get there and keep going.''
While a lot could change, Sale awaits.
Kluber does remember facing him.
"It was here, wasn't it?'' he said. "I don't remember who won.''
Kluber and Sale kept the score at 1 into extra innings the one time they faced each other, with the White Sox winning in the 10th. Don't be surprised if they pick up where they left off.
* ESPNBoston.com
Boston's high-tech cheating is like sign-stealing on steroids
Buster Olney
The New York Yankees suspected for weeks that the Boston Red Sox had illicitly stolen signs in some way because of the comfort in the swings of the Boston hitters. One of New York’s hard-throwing relievers would try an off-speed pitch, and time and again, it seemed that the Red Sox hitter at the plate would dial down and taken an aggressive, healthy hack -- as if the batter had been lucky and guessed right.
But it happened again. And again. And again.
So the Yankees searched for answers about how this might be taking place, and on the evening of Aug. 18, the Yankees’ staff discovered in video review what it determined to be incontrovertible evidence -- as first detailed in the New York Times on Tuesday afternoon. An assistant trainer received a message on his watch; the trainer informed a Red Sox player in the dugout; the player relayed that information to the runner at second base, indicating which pitch signal in the sequence of signs was real; the runner at second, instantly armed with the key to breaking the Yankees’ signal-calling code, could detail the identity of the forthcoming pitch for the hitter at the plate.
David Dombrowski, the president of Boston’s baseball operations, noted Tuesday that sign-stealing has been a part of the game for decades. But this was something different than the good ol’ fashion cat-and- mouse game between the pitcher and catcher and the baserunner at second base.
If what the Yankees believe to be true is fully verified by Major League Baseball, this was like sign- stealing on steroids -- using technology to accelerate the process of decoding catchers’ signs and giving the Red Sox a competitive advantage over teams that respected MLB’s no-technology rules. If what the Yankees believe to be true is verified, Boston hitters had advance knowledge of markedly more pitches they were about to see than their opponents, because members of the organization ignored MLB's guidelines.
It’s basically the same type of advantage a student would have over peers if he or she received the questions to a college exam before the test.
John Farrell refused to address the specifics of the Yankees' allegations. AP Photo/Steve Nesius If Major League Baseball wants teams to take its no-technology rules seriously, it needs to come down hard on the Red Sox. If commissioner Rob Manfred lightly fines Boston, or renders some other toothless punishment, then he’ll essentially greenlight other teams to try to replicate the Red Sox crime -- and guarantee that a game he is trying to speed up will instead be even further bogged down by mound meetings and infield conferences, as teams combat an even more complicated version of sign-stealing.
If what the Yankees allege is verified, then what the Red Sox did was brazen, and continued even after the Yankees initially reached out to the commissioner’s office with an unofficial complaint.
The day after the Yankees identified the video evidence that they felt demonstrated Red Sox cheating, sources say, they reached out to the commissioner’s office and were informed that they would be contacted by Dombrowski. That did not happen. A Red Sox source maintained that nobody within the commissioner’s office reached out to Dombrowski at that time and that the Red Sox were told that Yankees GM Brian Cashman intended to call Dombrowski.
In that day’s game -- after the Yankees had first been in touch with MLB -- the Yankees again collected video of what they believed to be the same sequence of events:
Athletic trainer checks his watch; athletic trainer speaks to a player in the dugout; player in the dugout communicates with a runner at second; and with the clear view of the catcher, the runner decodes the signals for the batter and relays that information to the hitter.
When the Yankees front office had still not heard from Dombrowski by Aug. 23, four days after their initial contact with MLB, it filed a formal complaint, along with the video evidence.
On Tuesday, neither Dombrowski nor John Farrell addressed the specifics of what the Yankees alleged. But the Red Sox did file their version of a countersuit against the Yankees with MLB, suggesting that the Yankees have been using a YES Network camera to steal signs. Yankees manager Joe Girardi dismissed that possibility, and if MLB finds no credibility to the Red Sox allegation, that should be a factor in determining a penalty against Boston.
Because that will mean that given the choice between being accountable and acknowledging a transgression -- a clear violation of a written rule -- the Red Sox instead tried to obfuscate, to muddy the conversation about sign-stealing. Everybody’s doing it is not an acceptable response because, quite frankly, not everybody’s doing it -- and certainly not in the manner the Red Sox were.
Dustin Pedroia downplays scandal: 'Don't think this should be news'
Scott Lauber
BOSTON -- As he sat down Wednesday to begin his daily pregame media session, Red Sox manager John Farrell looked at his wristwatch, nothing more than a reflex. Then, he realized an opportunity for comedy.
"It's not an Apple Watch," Farrell said.
One day after commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed a New York Times report that Major League Baseball is investigating claims by the New York Yankees that the Red Sox used electronics -- an Apple Watch, to be specific -- to read and relay signs from Yankees catchers, Boston players and staff members remained wholly unapologetic, even making light of the situation.
"It's part of the game," Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. "Our adjustment to that stuff is: Go out to the mound and change the signs.
"It's been around a long, long time. We were doing that at Douglass Junior High School [in Woodland, California], where I played. So, I don't think this should be news to everybody."
Pedroia said he hasn't been interviewed by MLB as part of the investigation. If he were to be interviewed, however, he said he would have an explanation for the video, provided by the Yankees, that shows him conferring with assistant athletic trainer Jon Jochim. Jochim is believed to have received text messages on his Apple Watch from a staff member in the clubhouse with information about the Yankees' signs.
"I was talking to the trainer about what time I'm rehabbing the next day, because I was on the DL," Pedroia said.
Pedroia's larger point was that the video of him talking to a trainer isn't necessarily incriminating. He noted that the Yankees had video of Red Sox right-hander Doug Fister wearing what they thought was an earpiece.
"It was his mouthguard," Pedroia said. "I mean, it's baseball, man."
After his start Wednesday night at Fenway Park, a 6-1 Red Sox victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, Fister said he has pitched with the mouthguard for "a couple, three years now" because he grinds his teeth.
"It's definitely something I've used a lot," Fister said.
The Yankees went 11-8 against the Red Sox this season. The Sox batted .143 (20-for-140) with runners in scoring position, although their numbers in that situation were far better during an Aug. 18-20 series, in which the Yankees filmed the Sox's dugout in search of evidence of electronic sign stealing.
Farrell has maintained that he didn't know the extent of the sign-stealing operation.
"I would say this, that over my career there are players that are more adept at picking up signs than others," Farrell said. "And that's not really a conversation point [with the manager or other staff members]. That's more they're providing information to their teammates."
Farrell said the Red Sox are conducting an internal investigation into the situation. There aren't any rules against sign stealing, a common practice throughout baseball history, but the use of binoculars or electronic devices in the dugout is prohibited.
Pedroia noted, though, that teams are permitted to use a customized iPad Pro in the dugout, a fact he likely brought up to illustrate the blurred lines about what equipment can be used.
"I don't really know what the rulebook says on that," Pedroia said of the use of an Apple Watch. "I know we have iPads in the dugout. I mean, is that a false thing, too? Are we not supposed to have iPads in there?"
Manfred said Tuesday that the investigation into the Red Sox -- and a countercomplaint filed by the Red Sox against the Yankees -- is ongoing. Although Manfred said he wants a swift resolution, there isn't a timetable for when he might issue a ruling.
MLB has the authority to strip the Red Sox of wins against the Yankees, but there isn't any precedent for such a punishment. It's more likely the Sox would receive a fine or perhaps a loss of draft picks, according to multiple sources.
Regardless, the Red Sox seem unconcerned.
"We're here to play baseball games," Pedroia said. "We've got a 3½-game lead in our division. Other than that, nobody gives a s---. We're trying to win baseball games."
* WEEI.com
Jackie Bradley Jr. on pointing to watch: 'I'm just having fun with my teammates'
Rob Bradford
Don't think for a minute that the Red Sox players don't hear what's going on when it comes to the sign- stealing controversy going on between the Red Sox and Yankees.
Just take a look at how Jackie Bradley Jr. celebrated his two-run homer for proof.
Upon crossing home plate, the Red Sox outfielder pointed to his wrist, where a watch would be worn, making light of the claim by the Yankees that the Sox were using a trainer's Apple Watch to help relay signs.
"It's fun," Bradley Jr. told WEEI.com after the Red Sox's 6-1 win over the Blue Jays Wednesday night. "I'm having fun with my teammates."
The center fielder added regarding the drama, "It's whatever. We're just trying to go out there and win the ballgames and not really focus on outside noise. They're going to say what they want to say. And we'll just try to continue to win and play good baseball."
Another perceived jab at the Yankees could be seen with Red Sox starting pitcher Doug Fister resting his mouth piece on his right ear for everyone to see. It was reported by CSNNE.com earlier Wednesday that the Yankees filed a complaint to MLB after falsely believing the pitcher's mouth gard was a listening device.
When asked about the preventitive piece of equipment, Fister wasn't letting on as to if anything was out of the norm. When asked how long he had used the mouth gard, the 33-year-old righty deadpanned, "A couple, three years now. It’s definitely something I’ve used a lot."
One player that is thought to have familiarity with how things are done in New York and Boston, Eduardo Nunez, is choosing to keep his distance from the particulars of the chaos.
"I don't know exactly what is going on. I was surprised when I saw the news," said Nunez, who played for the Yankees from 2010-13. "I don't know is going on exactly. What the rumor is. About the Apple Watch. We'll have to wait to see what's going on. I can't say anything. I don't even know. That [back and forth between the teams> is for front office. It's not for the players."
Hour #2 it's more sign stealing scandal talk, then we delve in to the sorted world of WFAN's Craig Carton, and the Federal fraud charges he now faces.
Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 1: Doug Fister did it again
Rob Bradford
Doug Fister, staff ace.
OK, so maybe it would be unfair to leap-frog Chris Sale when it comes to identifying the Red Sox' most important starter, but if you're talking about the pitcher who has done the most for John Farrell's club, Fister is in the conversation. That notion was only cemented with his rain-soaked performance in the Sox' 6-1 win over the Blue Jays Wednesday night. (For a complete recap of the Sox's win, click here.)
The righty, who was deemed not worth of a major league go-round by the Angels earlier this year, has been one of the American League's best starting pitchers since re-entering the rotation July 31. With his seven innings of one-run ball, Fister's ERA now dips to 2.79 in his last seven appearances.
It's the best of any Red Sox starter during that span, and has proven to be unbelievably valuable for this team, which has come away victors in five of Fister's last seven starts. In fact, according to former WEEI.com stalwart Alex Speier, since 2000 only six Red Sox starters -- Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Chris Sale and Fister -- has gone four straight starts of seven or more innings, and five or fewer hits.
"Credit to Doug Fister, plain and simple," Farrell said. "I think he’s gained a lot of confidence each time he’s taken the mound in the rotation. We’ve talked about the adjustments he had to make and did those and he’s gone out and pitched as a veteran does. Knows himself knows how to navigate traffic when it’s on the base paths. You love the body language, the mound presence and the conviction to the pitches. So he has earned that trust by the way he’s gone out and pitched."
Another positive heading into the final few weeks of the regular season is the fact Fister's arm is well- rested, having been used in 73 2/3 innings this season. And when you can get a starter on a roll without the wear and tear most of his rotation-mates are dealing with, that's gold.
"It's a rough spot starting in May and going from there. But at the same time, I still feel good now," Fister said. "Our boys have put in a lot of innings and pitched very well and continuing to do so. We've just got to keep continuing to push one another and fight and do what we have to do day in and day out."
Other than Fister, the other most important development of the night came in the form of the Red Sox actually scoring runs. Heck, they even notched a home run, thanks to Jackie Bradley Jr.'s two-run blast in the fourth inning against Toronto starter Joe Biagini.
It wasn't exactly a door-busting performance by the Red Sox batters (1-for-9 with runners in scoring position), but it was the kind of cushion they hadn't been supplying. Most notable were the two-hit nights from Eduardo Nunez and Rafael Devers, along with Xander Bogaerts' RBI triple.
Fister hasn't given up a run outside the first inning in his last four starts.
Dustin Pedroia has no time for sign-stealing controversy
Rob Bradford
Dustin Pedroia has been caught up in the middle of the controversy brewing regarding the Yankees' complaint about the Red Sox stealing sign. He wants no part of continuing the conversation.
Pedroia was named by the New York Times as one of the players who participated in relaying signs given from a trainer, who had received pitch information on his Apple Watch from the Red Sox' video staff. According to the Times story, the Red Sox admitted to engaging in stealing of the Yankees' signs, but also claimed that New York had been participating in similar chicanery.
"MLB is doing an investigation on both sides. So obviously I've played against the Yankees for 11 years. It's part of the game, so our adjustment to that stuff is to go out to the mound and change the signs," Pedroia said prior to the Red Sox' game against the Blue Jays Wednesday night. "So, we just keep it at that. It's baseball. It's part of the game. It's been around a long time. I mean, we were doing that at Douglas Jr. High School where I played, so I don't think this should be news to everybody. So whatever MLB comes about it, I'm sure it's -- I know the players on both sides I'm sure, probably don't think it's from them. But you know, whatever."
"They had a good picture of me, Brock [Holt], and CY [Chris Young] hanging out though. I do know that. And I was talking to the trainer about what time I'm rehabbing the next day because I'm on the DL, I was on the DL. And they had a nice one of Doug [Fister] with an ear piece in. It was his mouth guard. So I mean, it's baseball, man. We already played them 19 times. They beat us how many, 11? They beat us. I'm not going to cry to anybody about it. That's baseball. Right now we're playing the Blue Jays, we're focused on that ,and whatever is talked about is talked about. You can't control that. We're just going to try to play the game we love and play to win and that's what our organization does."
Pedroia, who has been embroiled in controversy earlier this season thanks to incidents involving the Orioles, and David Price vs. Dennis Eckersley, reiterated that his focus is on keeping his injured left knee well enough to play, and the current pennant race.
"Nothing bothers me, man," he said. "Like you know, playing in this environment you kind of have to have thick skin and turn the page on whatever is being said because a lot of it is just talk and that's it. I mean, you just go play. It's baseball."
Dale, Holley and Rich Keefe sit down with John Farrell live from Fenway Park and get in to detail about the NY Times report concerning the Red Sox using and Apple Watch to steal signs from the Yankees. We also get in to the marathon game against Toronto, and the rain situation for tonight's game.
John Farrell: Had I known about Apple Watch sign stealing method, it would have been shut down
Ryan Hannable
Red Sox manager John Farrell joined Dale & Holley with Keefe for his weekly appearance on Wednesday to discuss the Apple Watch sign stealing case, as well as other matters with the team. To hear the complete interview, visit the Dale & Holley with Keefe audio on demand page.
The Yankees reported the Red Sox using Apple Watches to help steal signs to Major League Baseball over a month ago, which then prompted MLB to investigate.
“It’s still on-going, as we know," Farrell said of the investigation. "There’s still a lot I think to be examined. The investigation as far as the interviews with us has taken place. There’s a counter complaint that has been filed, so there is still a lot going on here.”
The Red Sox manager said if he would have known that was how the team was going about stealing signs, he would have stopped it.
“Here’s the thing, the fact if I was aware this was on-going — it’s not so much the device itself, if the device is being used, yeah, that is clearly against the rules — so it would have been shut down," he said. "I can appreciate and understand the question here regarding, ‘Hey, it is going on in your dugout, how did you not know?’ I can’t deluge into the complete specifics of it all, but had I known about it, hey, that is not acceptable.”
Added Farrell: “I would have been disappointed had I known about it and still it was taking place. The fact is that was not the case and we’re dealing with the consequence.”
Farrell also said pitchers need to be prepared for when offenses catch on to signs.
“I think here’s the thing: Every pitcher that we have, we try and equip them with two and three sets of signs for this very fact," he said. "It is something that has been on-going. As a former pitcher, if you didn’t have multiple sets to go to that you could change on the fly, almost shame on you for not having the ability to counteract the information that might be relayed to second base. In a day of technology, that is going to be pervasive at some point.”
Farrell and the Red Sox also believe the Yankees could have handled things differently and kept it between the clubs.
“Yeah, there is. And whether that is a conversation at field level across the diamond between managers, or if it is between general managers, which I think in a situation from my understanding is typically the case when you have that kind of relationship one step above the field," Farrell said. "In this particular case, that obviously didn’t take place.”
“When you go to the other extent, I think it begins to expose all, not just on one side," he added.
Dale, Holley and Rich Keefe sit down with John Farrell live from Fenway Park and get in to detail about the NY Times report concerning the Red Sox using and Apple Watch to steal signs from the Yankees. We also get in to the marathon game against Toronto, and the rain situation for tonight's game.
* CSNNE.com
In 19 innings and Fister, Red Sox identity shines through
Evan Drellich
BOSTON — In roughly 24 hours, the Red Sox went from a two-run deficit in the ninth inning to winners of two straight games, one of them 19 innings, another a slopfest in a muddied Fenway Park.
Identity has been its own muddied matter for the 2017 Sox. Who are they in the wake of David Ortiz's departure? Who are they without steps forward from the youths? The answers didn’t make themselves readily apparent.
Wednesday night’s 6-1 win over the Blue Jays and the 24 hours preceding are emblematic of what the Sox have become. Strictly in how they look on the field, anyway. We’re not talking about the underbelly of airplane confrontations, or more recently, fancy dugout timepieces.
On Wednesday, you had the continuation of Doug Fister’s wildly unexpected turnaround. There was aggressive base running and, after six hours of play the night before, a feeling of one of the most overused words in sport — resiliency.
“It was special, that’s for sure,” said Jackie Bradley Jr., who homered Wednesday and had a huge throw home Tuesday night. “Being able to mentally tough out that long game and to come back, I feel like we had some momentum coming into today. Just try not to think about the weather and just go out and compete and perform your best.”
Whether you want to believe in the value of the Sox’ style of play in a playoff setting — whether you think the Sox stack up with the rest of the best in the American League — they’re separate matters. And definitely questionable.
But the threads that have kept the Sox atop the division were front and center Wednesday as well as the night previous. By now, Fister should be an easy character to embrace for fans.
“Grinder who won’t give in and keeps his head up through difficult times to come out on top through work and adjustments,” one scout said Wednesday.
It's an obvious characterization, yet, it's not one the 2017 Red Sox were expected to be built on. This team was to be about stars, and it has been — but not nearly to the extent presumed. A Cy Young winner and an All-Star closer were supposed to have a lot more All-Stars around them.
Sweet-swinging Eduardo Nunez on Wednesday went 2-for-3 with a walk and stole a pair of bags. Twenty- year-old like Rafael Devers, whose return to the lineup brought a pair of hits including an RBI, is hitting .365 at Fenway.
Perhaps calling the Sox underdogs was never the most accurate description. But there are certainly key individuals who qualify, and even more who come across as scrapers. Grinders. Call them what you want, the semantics can be a drag. What we mean is, these are guys who are not supposed to be all that good, for whatever reason. They’re over the hill. Or they’re outperforming they’re past. Or they’re too young. And yet, here they are.
Mitch Moreland, a Gold Glove first baseman, is outperforming the designated hitter at the plate for goodness’ sake.
Fister’s mechanical changes have been discussed before. He was helped by a move on the rubber to the first base side. His strikeouts have picked up significantly, with nine Wednesday night, aided by increased depth on all his pitches.
But for a 33-year-old, what may be most remarkable is the willingness to evolve — and from there, the ability to implement changes so rapidly.
As Fister tells it, there was no hesitation when the Sox recommended trying new things, new things designed to make him look like the Fister of old.
“Changing teams, it’s like going to a new school,” Fister said. “These guys have made it easy. This transition has been very, very easy. We’ve got a great clubhouse. Knowing some of the staff, I knew Carl [Willis], and obviously I’ve seen [Brian] Bannister and Dana working from afar. Knowing their background, knowing what they do and what their forte is, it came easy to say, ‘Just let me know what I need to do. You guys have done your homework on me.’ Obviously I was struggling and needed the adjustment. And it’s definitely welcomed.”
If the playoffs started in five days, Fister would be in the playoff rotation, without a doubt. There’s still a while to go. But he’s as representative of the success of the 2017 Sox as anyone.
Manfred indicates harsh punishment for Red Sox is unlikely
Evan Drellich
BOSTON -- Parsing the commissioner’s own words, it sounds like any potential punishment MLB delivers the Red Sox for sign stealing will be measured.
Baseball sources on Wednesday said it was premature to categorize the punishment in a particular way -- heavy-handed, wrist slap, etc. -- but Manfred’s own words on Tuesday at Fenway Park gave some insight into his thinking.
Deterrence for breaking the rules is something Manfred has valued before when rules have been broken in his time as commissioner, and the same is true now. So Manfred has reason to do something more than make a token gesture.
“When I think about punishment, I think you need to think about deterrents,” Manfred said. “I think you need to think about how the violation has affected the play on the field, and I think you need to think about how it's affected the perception of the game publicly. All of those things are something that you have to weigh in terms of trying to get to appropriate discipline.”
At the same time, the commissioner strongly indicated he does not think the Red Sox -- or the Yankees, if they’re in turn found to have taped the Sox for the purpose of gaining an advantage -- should vacate any wins.
“Wins, look, I would say this: Could it happen?” Manfred said. “You know, is there the authority to do that? I think the answer to that, under the major league constitution, is yes. Has it ever happened with this type of allegation? I think the answer is -- I know the answer is -- no. And the reason for that is it's just very hard to know what the actual impact is in any particular game.”
Considering how poorly the Red Sox wound up against the Yankees this year, losing 11 of 19 games, it’d be even harder to see evidence of impact. That wouldn’t eliminate the transgression, of course.
Manfred emphasized how cooperative the Red Sox have been and that no violations were presently ongoing. Add in the fact that sign stealing is a problem Manfred said is usually handled behind closed doors, and it just doesn’t sound like the Sox are about to have their world rocked.
Pedroia unconvincing -- but humorous -- on sign-stealing allegations
Evan Drellich
BOSTON — Dustin Pedroia was amusing but unconvincing Wednesday afternoon when addressed sign- stealing allegations involving him and his team.
“I don't have anything to say about anything,” Pedroia said at Fenway Park, as his interview ended. “We're here to play baseball games. We've got a 3 1/2 game lead in our division. Other than that, nobody gives a [expletive]. We're trying to win baseball games."
The Red Sox second baseman did, however, have some things to say before that point, including that he was unaware of the rules for the use of electronic devices.
“I don't really know what the rule book says on that,” Pedroia said. “I know we have iPads in the dugout. So I'm not sure what the — I mean, is that a false thing too? Are we not supposed to have iPads in there?”
Pedroia might have been referencing screenshots Barstool's Dan O'Mara published showing Yankees relievers using iPads to stream games in the bullpen, not the dugout.
But surely, Pedroia does know the rules on electronic devices at this point, if he didn’t previously.
The second baseman’s always been sarcastic and dismissive. His on-field dexterity translates in interviews as well. He just doesn’t have much wiggle room here.
If Pedroia came out and declared his innocence, he’d be taking a big risk if, in fact, he is in the wrong. The New York Times reported the Sox have already admitted to using an Apple Watch to help steal signals.
From The Times: “Red Sox assistant athletic trainer, Jon Jochim, is seen looking at his Apple Watch and then passing information to outfielder Brock Holt and second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was injured at the time but in uniform. In one instance, Pedroia is then seen passing the information to Young.”
Was Pedroia up to no good? Well, depends on whom you want to believe.
The second baseman said he was just working on getting himself healthier. That's going to be a hard one to sell.
“[MLB] had a good picture of me, Brock, and CY hanging out though,” Pedroia said. “I do know that. And I was talking to the trainer about what time I'm rehabbing the next day because I'm on the DL, I was on the DL. And they had a nice [picture] of Doug [Fister] with an earpiece in. It was his mouthguard.”
That was a reference to a CSNNE story from Wednesday, which noted that the Yankees complained to MLB because they thought Fister was using an audio device when it actuality he just had his mouthguard around his ear.
“So I mean, it's baseball, man,” Pedroia said. “We already played them 19 times. They beat us how many, 11? They beat us. I'm not going to cry to anybody about it. That's baseball. Right now we're playing the Blue Jays, we're focused on that, and whatever is talked about is talked about. You can't control that. We're just going to try to play the game we love and play to win and that's what our organization does.”
That’s not all the organization does. They countersue. Pedroia, like Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski a day earlier, pointed out there is an investigation looking into the Yankees as well.
“MLB is doing an investigation on both sides,” Pedroia said. “Obviously, I've played against the Yankees for 11 years. It's part of the game, so our adjustment to that stuff is to go out to the mound and change the signs. So, we just keep it at that. It's baseball. It's part of the game. It's been around a long time.
“I mean, we were [stealing signs] at Douglas Junior High School where I played, so I don't think this should be news to everybody. So whatever MLB [determines], I'm sure it's — I know the players on both sides I'm sure, probably don't think it's from them. But you know, whatever.”
* NESN.com
Red Sox Wrap: Doug Fister, Jackie Bradley Jr. Lift Boston To Rainy Win
Cameron McDonough
There sure has been a lot of baseball played at Fenway Park over the past 24-plus hours, but it all was worth it for the Boston Red Sox.
Hours after the Sox pulled out a marathon victory in the 19th inning early Wednesday morning, Boston earned a series win over the Toronto Blue Jays with a 6-1 victory at Fenway Park. Despite the rainy conditions, Doug Fister still tossed a gem for the Red Sox, while Jackie Bradley Jr. and the offense provided plenty of run support.
The Red Sox improved to 79-61 with the win, while the Blue Jays dropped to 64-76. Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD Rain.
It wasn’t clear if they’d even play Wednesday due to the weather, but the teams played through the mostly light rain.
IT WAS OVER WHEN… Boston turned a tied game into a four-run lead in the fourth inning.
ON THE BUMP — Fister didn’t get off to the best start, as he allowed a single, double and two walks, the second of which came with the bases loaded in the first inning. But he settled down from there. The right-hander allowed only one earned run on four hits with three walks and nine strikeouts over seven innings.
— Joe Kelly induced three groundouts in a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
— Matt Barnes finished things off with a 1-2-3 ninth.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX — Boston tied things up at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning thanks to Andrew Benintendi’s RBI groundout.
— The Sox broke the game open with four runs in the fourth. Xander Bogaerts’ triple drove in the first run, and he came around to score on a Rafael Devers single. Bradley later made it 5-1 Boston with a two-run home run into the bullpen.
— Boston upped its lead to 6-1 in the sixth inning when Bradley reached on an error, allowing Devers to score.
— Every Red Sox starter had at least one hit except Andrew Benintendi and Dustin Pedroia. Devers and Eduardo Nunez both led the way with two hits apiece.
TWEET OF THE NIGHT Rick Porcello was honored before Wednesday’s game.
UP NEXT The Red Sox will be back at Fenway Park on Friday to open a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Left-hander Drew Pomeranz is scheduled to get the start for Boston opposite right-hander Chris Archer. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
* The Boston Sports Journal
Is Doug Fister pitching his way into the Red Sox’ postseason rotation?
Sean McAdam
It may be premature to think about the Red Sox playoff rotation, given it’s likely too soon to think about the Red Sox’ playoff hopes. Only two days ago, some saw those as doomed and even after two wins over lowly Toronto, they’re far from assured.
But at some point, the Red Sox are going to be potting which starters will be lined up for the playoffs and it’s not outlandish to think that Doug Fister could be part of their plans.
Such a conceit would have been unthinkable only a few months ago when Fister was toiling for the Angels’ Triple A affiliate in Salt Lake City, just one more veteran hoping for one more shot. He got his chance when the Red Sox claimed him off waivers in the final week of June.
At the time, the Red Sox’ rotation had thinned with injuries to Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez and uncertainty surrounding David Price’s elbow. At the very least, Fister was a veteran with a track record. Maybe, just maybe, he could offer some spot starts and some depth.
“We knew we were getting a guy with veteran presence,’’ said John Farrell, recounting the evaluation of Fister at the time of his arrival. “We felt like we needed to add to the starting depth. He understood that he would go to the bullpen (if the rotation became crowded), which he did. But he’s surpassed the initial expectation.
Better than two months later, Fister has become so much more than that. He gave the Sox seven more strong innings Wednesday in their 6-1 win over Toronto. In the final weeks of the season, he’s improbably become the third most trustworthy starter behind only Chris Sale and Drew Pomeranz.
Eduardo Rodriguez continues to tease, flashing a brilliant start here and there, but remains mostly enigmatic and frequently uneconomical. Rick Porcello isn’t the disappointment he was in his first season in Boston but is nowhere near the Cy Young award-form he showed a year ago and his propensity for giving up the long ball (35 homers allowed) is troubling.
Then there’s Fister, who in 11 starts this season has compiled a 3.61 ERA and a 5-5 mark. And while two of his last three starts have come at the expense of last-place Toronto, he’s also limited quality lineups like Baltimore, Cleveland and New York.
“He has been such a boost,’’ said Farrell. “Credit to Doug Fister, plain and simple. I think he’s gained a lot of confidence each time he’s taken the mound in the rotation. He had adjustments to make, and he did those. And he’s gone out and pitched as a veteran does. He knows himself, knows how to navigate traffic when it’s on the basepaths. You love the mound presence and the conviction. He’s earned that trust by the way he’s gone out and pitched.’’
It’s worth noting that of all the potential starters on the Red Sox staff, Fister is the only one who can claim a postseason victory.
Moreover, Fister is getting better as the season progresses. Over his last four starts, he’s 3-1 with a 1.50 and has pitched at least seven innings and not allowed more than two runs in any of them.
How rare is such a run? The only other pitchers in the American League who have posted four-straight starts of seven or more innings and two or fewer earned runs are: Sale, Corey Kluber and Dallas Keuchel.
Those three have something else in common: they’ll all be starting postseason games for their respective clubs this October.
Is it outlandish to think that Fister might, too?
Pedroia unapologetic on sign-stealing charges
Sean McAdam
The Red Sox don’t appear ready to go on an apology tour anytime soon now that it’s public knowledge that they’re being investigated for stealing signs from the New York Yankees.
On Tuesday afternoon, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski grinned and occasionally joked through a short press conference, making it clear that he wasn’t the least bit remorseful , while taking playful jabs at the Yankees for allegedly leaking the story to the New York Times on the day that commissioner was scheduled to be in Boston.
On Wednesday, it was more of the same with Dustin Pedroia, one of the players allegedly caught being involved in relaying signs from the training staff to teammates on the bases.
“Obviously, I’ve played against the Yankees for 11 years,’’ said Pedroia. “(Stealing signs) is part of the game, so our adjustment to that stuff is to go out to the mound and change the signs. So, we just keep it at that. It’s baseball; it’s part of the game. It’s been around for a long time. I mean, we were doing that at Douglass Junior High School where I played, so I don’t think this should be news to everybody.’’
Reminded that the Red Sox were accused of using electronic devices to advance their sign-stealing, Pedroia said: “I don’t really know what the rule book says on that. I know we have IPads in the dugout. I mean, is that a false thing, too? Are we not supposed to have IPads in there?’’
Pedroia said he hasn’t spoken to commissioner Rob Manfred, but noted the investigators had a picture of Pedroia, Chris Young and Brock Holt in the dugout.
“I was talking to the trainer about what time I’m rehabbing the next day,’’ said Pedroia of the picture in question, “because (at the time I was) on the DL. And they had a nice one of Doug (Fister) with an earpiece in; it was his mouth guard. So, I mean it’s baseball, man.
“We already played them 19 times. They beat us, how many, 11? They beat us. I’m not going to cry to anybody about it. That’s baseball. Right now, we’re playing the Blue Jays, we’re focused on that and whatever is talked about is talked about. You can’t control that.’’
Pedroia said he wasn’t bothered by the fact that story was leaked.
“Nothing bothers me, man,’’ Pedroia said. “Playing in this environment you kind of have to have think skin and turn the page on whatever is being said because a lot of it is just talk and that’s it. I mean, you just go play. It’s baseball.
“I don’t have anything to say about anything. We’re here to play baseball games. We’ve got a 3.5 games lead in our division. Other than that, nobody gives a (crap). We’re trying to win baseball games.’’
Final: Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 1
Sean McAdam
The Red Sox season hasn’t necessarily been turned around, but for now, the panic has subsided.
Building on their 19-inning victory from the night before, the Red Sox took their second straight from the Toronto Blue Jays, netting a commanding 6-1 victory. With the Yankees rained out in Baltimore, the win lifted the Sox back to four games in front in the East.
With the teams tied 1-1 in the fourth, the Red Sox erupted for four runs. Xander Bogaerts tripled home Mitch Moreland (walk) and a single from Rafael Devers delivered Bogaerts from third. After Devers was erased by a fielder’s choice at second, Jackie Bradley Jr. cranked a two-run homer to right, putting the Sox up 5-1.
The Sox added another run in the sixth when Devers singled, took third on a double by Leon and rode home an error by Toronto shortstop Richard Urena.
Doug Fister won for the third time in his last four starts, nicked for his customary run in the first before shutting the Jays down the rest of the way.
GAME NO.: 140 WHO: Red Sox (78-61) vs Toronto Blue Jays (64-75) WHEN: 7:10 p.m. WHERE: Fenway Park TV: NESN RADIO: WEEI (93.7 FM) PITCHERS: Doug Fister (4-7, 4.19) vs. Joe Biagini (3-9, 5.01) BOX SCORE: MLB Gameday
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
It was more of the same for Doug Fister on the mound: rough first inning, and cruise control thereafter. Fister allowed one run on two hits and two walks in the first inning, then tossed six shutout innings. In his last four starts, he’s allowed five runs in the first and zero runs from the second inning on. His batting average against, as a matter of fact, is .072 (6-for-83). Whatever adjustments he needs to make from the first inning, Fister successfully makes them.
The Sox got plenty of offensive contributions from the bottom of the order: three RBI from Jackie Bradley (two on a home run); two hits and an RBI from Rafael Devers and a triple, run scored and RBI from Xander Bogaerts.
Fister got pushed to 113 pitches tonight, one shy of his season high, in part because the Sox went through 11 relievers in Tuesday’s marathon and were without Brandon Workman and Austin Maddox tonight. The Sox seem to be doing the right thing by Dustin Pedroia as he comes back from knee inflammation. He was used as the DH tonight, out of fear for the conditions, which indeed got sloppy from the rain. And with the Sox leading 6-1 in the sixth, they pinch-hit for him to get him some extra rest and off his feet.
SERIES TO DATE: This is the final game of the three-game series between the clubs. After the Jays won the first one 10-4, the Red Sox took the middle game – the hard way, in 19 long innings. First, they had to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth just to force extra innings. The Red Sox have a commanding 11-4 series lead. Strangely, the Blue Jays will be back at Fenway in another three weeks.
WHERE THINGS STAND: With some help from Manny Machado, the Red Sox re-established their 3.5 game lead over second-place New York. The Sox are in the middle of a nine-game homestand, their second-to-last of the season, with all nine games against teams with losing records. The Jays are in last place in the division, having lost 8 of their last 12.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Fister has been arguably the Red Sox’ most consistent starter of late, allowing just four earned runs in his last three starts and is 4-2 with a 3.05 ERA in his last six. Kendrys Morales has hit him well in his career (9-for-27, three homers, five RBI). Biagini has been a spot starter for Toronto. This will mark only his third start since July 2. Mookie Betts is 5-for-9 with two homers and seven RBI in his career.
STAT OF NOTE: Before Monday, no American League team had ever used 12 pitchers in a single game. Then, the Angels used 12 Monday and the Red Sox used 12 Tuesday.
LINEUPS:
Red Sox:
Nunez 2b Pedroia DH Benintendi LF Betts RF Moreland 1B Bogaerts SS Devers 3B Leon C Bradley Jr. CF
Blue Jays:
Carrera RF Hernandez CF Smoak 1B Morales DH Saunders LF Montero C Barney 3B Goins 2B Urena SS
* The New York Times
How Red Sox Used Tech, Step by Step, to Steal Signs From Yankees
Joe Ward, Sergio Pecanha, and Sam Manchester
Knowing what pitch is coming can give a batter a huge advantage. That’s why trying to steal a catcher’s signs to the pitcher is nearly as old as baseball itself. It is considered a bit of gamesmanship and is usually not against the rules.
But what got the Red Sox in trouble was how they used Apple Watches in the dugout in their quest to steal the Yankees’ signs. Here is the method the Red Sox were believed to have used.
1 Catcher Gives the Signs By using his fingers, the catcher signals a number to the pitcher to convey what pitch he wants thrown. But when there is a runner on second base (who can see the signals from the catcher and potentially tip off the batter) the catcher uses a series of numbers to disguise the real sign.
2 Boston Decodes the Signs During the game, the Red Sox studied video replay from the center-field cameras to examine the series of signs the Yankees catcher used when there was a runner on second base. They also recorded what type of pitches were thrown. By matching up the catcher’s signals with the type of pitches thrown, they managed to figure out how to decode the signs.
3 Video Room Sends the Cracked Code to the Dugout Those in the video room then sent that decoding information to the dugout to the Apple Watch of a member of the training staff. He then relayed that information to players in the dugout.
4 Dugout Relays the Code to the Runner on Second A player in the dugout relayed the decoding information to the runner on second. This scheme could work only when the Red Sox had a runner on second base because he would be the only Red Sox player who could see the catcher’s signs and immediately decode them and alert the batter with a subtle gesture. The Red Sox had a runner on second base 24 times in the series in question.
5 Runner Signals to the Batter Armed with the knowledge of which sign was the real one, the runner on second base subtly relayed to the batter what pitch was called for. Knowing what pitch is coming can help the batter with the timing of his swing and the location of the pitch.
* The New York Daily News
Red Sox have video evidence of Yankees using YES feed to steal signs
Mike Mazzeo
BALTIMORE — Apparently, the latest Yankee-Red Sox scandal isn’t over.
The Red Sox have reportedly sent video evidence to the MLB commissioner’s office that shows a YES Network camera pointed at bench coach Gary DiSarcina during a recent game at Yankee Stadium, according to ESPN.
The report said the Red Sox had DiSarcina alter his dugout position to avoid the Yankees potentially stealing signs as a result.
The Bombers have strongly denied Boston’s YES Network accusations, with one source calling it “complete nonsense.” “Not a chance,” Joe Girardi said Tuesday.
On Tuesday, MLB determined that the Red Sox used an Apple Watch to steal signs from the Yankees’ catchers during their August series at Fenway Park. Boston ultimately admitted as much after being approached by the league.
No penalties — if any — have been given as of yet.
“To involve YES in your scam so you can try to slither away from what you did wrong offends me,” YES Network Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay said on his ESPN radio show. “Because I’m part of YES.”
Kay added: “I would know, I would have heard if this was something YES was involved in. I will guarantee you that is totally fraudulent what the Red Sox are actually claiming.”
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was involved in iGate, weighed in:
“[MLB] had a good picture of me, Brock (Holt), and CY (Chris Young) hanging out though,” Pedroia said. “I do know that. And I was talking to the trainer about what time I’m rehabbing the next day because I’m on the DL, I was on the DL. And they had a nice (picture) of Doug (Fister) with an earpiece in. It was his mouthguard.”
“So I mean, it’s baseball, man,” Pedroia added. “We already played them 19 times. They beat us how many, 11? They beat us. I’m not going to cry to anybody about it. That’s baseball.”
* The New York Post
Six-part theory on how Red Sox actually stole the Yankees’ signs
Ken Davidoff
BALTIMORE — It would make for a heck of a “CSI” episode:
How exactly did the Red Sox steal the Yankees’ signals and transmit them, with the help of an Apple Watch, to their hitters?
The sad truth is that only the Red Sox know every step of the process, and a whistleblower has yet to emerge. The Yankees can’t present a timeline worthy of a TV courtroom drama; once they got the Apple Watch usage on video, their mission was complete. The same goes for Major League Baseball, which can impose discipline on the Red Sox with its incomplete case because it has the evidence it needs.
Nevertheless, from talking with some folks around the game familiar with the espionage that accompanies sign-stealing, some theories can be pieced together.
1. It started with J.T. Watkins, a Red Sox scouting assistant who serves as the team’s instant-replay guru. It’s his job to watch the team’s games on television, in a room situated in the bowels of Fenway Park, and recommend when manager John Farrell should use replay to challenge an umpire’s call. Watkins, a former minor league catcher, apparently deciphered the Yankees’ sequence of catchers’ signals to the pitcher off the TV.
2. Watkins then texted his findings, in code, to Jon Jochim, an assistant athletic trainer for Boston. Jochim received the messages, with both an Apple Watch and a smartphone at his disposal, and informed Red Sox players who happened to be in the dugout — who weren’t at bat or on the bases, in other words. In order for this system to work optimally, all of the players would have to be in on it.
3. Jochim would verbally notify the players in the dugout — the Yankees claim to have found video of him telling a Red Sox player, “Second set,” meaning the Yankees’ pitchers were working off their catchers’ second set of signals. And the players would relay that to the runner on second base.
4. Most likely, that relay occurred either through verbal code or hand signals. A player could tell his teammate to take two steps off the bag, which would mean to look out for the second set of signals. Or if a player mentioned his teammate by name, that would refer to one set of signals, and not mentioning the name would refer to something else. The usage of hand signals opens up a whole world of communication and code.
One key presence during this stretch would be Dustin Pedroia, who was on the disabled list from Aug. 9- 31, meaning he’d always be in the dugout. The naturally chatty Pedroia could voice messages through code more naturally than could a quieter teammate.
5. The runner on second would receive the information and inform his teammate at the plate — very subtly with hand signals, movements or words, given that he’s out in the open — what pitch to expect.
6. Finally, to be clear: No, this couldn’t be accomplished on every single pitch. It’s too slow a process. Rather, the Red Sox would figure out the Yankees’ system, communicate it during a break in the action and rely on the runner on second to do the rest.
* The Toronto Sun
Shorthanded Blue Jays dropped by Red Sox
Steve Buffery
BOSTON — The Blue Jays went to a proverbial knife fight at Fenway Park on Wednesday night with a plastic spoon.
Fielding a starting lineup that did not include Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Steve Pearce or Kevin Pillar, the Jays predictably lost to the Red Sox 6-1 on a misty and cool night in Boston. Toronto batters managed just four hits in the game. The Jays also committed two errors.
Other than the fact they played 19 innings the night before, it seemed strange that neither Bautista nor Donaldson was in the starting lineup to face right-hander Doug Fister. Bautista is 7-for-20 (.350) lifetime against Fister while Donaldson is 5-for-8 (.625). The Bosox played 19 innings the day before as well and they started most of their top players. Then again, they are the hunt for the AL East title while the Jays are playing for pride, or whatever.
The Jays seem to want to have a look at some of their high-level minor-league players at the major-league level, starting guys such as outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and shortstop Richard Urena.
The Jays took a 1-0 lead in the first when catcher Miguel Montero walked with the bases loaded. The next batter, Darwin Barney, grounded out to leave three men on base.
Boston tied it in its half of the inning when Andrew Benintendi hit a grounder to second, scoring Eduardo Nunez from third.
Coming off the best start of his career on Sept. 1, Jays right-handed pitcher Joe Biagini was pulled with one out in the fourth for Tim Mayza after giving up five runs on six hits and three walks, including a two-run homer to Jackie Bradley Jr. in the fourth.
“Bad. That’s a short answer for ya,” said Biagini, when asked to evaluate his performance. “It’s a search for consistency. Consistency of release point, aggressiveness and all that good stuff. I feel like I was battling. But I feel like the ball got up there a little bit in that fourth inning.
“I mean, every game there’s something like that. There’s something,” Biagini added. “You have to learn how to make sure you do the best you can with what’s going on and the situation (i.e. weather). After a while, it gets kind of old saying that and that just adds to the frustration. I feel like I made some good pitches, but it just wasn’t as consistent as I would have liked. I think that’s just kind of the theme of this whole season for me.”
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
Acting Jays manager DeMarlo Hale said he won’t coddle the young September callups.
“I haven’t given them any message really,” said Hale. “I want to see how they react. They’re major-league players, so I think sometimes you can try to include too much or give too much information to players (and) I don’t want to paralyze them. I want to see how they respond on their own.
“So, I haven’t said much to them,” he continued. “We just want to evaluate their reaction, their work pre- game and situations in the game that come up, how they react. That’s my approach. I’m sure the individual departments — Luis (Rivera) with the infielders probably has looked at more personal input, and Leip (Tim Leiper) with the outfielders, especially with this wall (the Green Monster) in left.”
Bautista has struck out 147 times this season. The Jays record for a season is 159 by Jose Canseco (1998) and Kelly Johnson (2012) ... The 19 innings Toronto logged on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning marked the third time in franchise history that the Jays went that long, the others being Aug. 10 2014 against the Detroit Tigers and July 1 2016 against the Cleveland Indians. The bullpen tossed 11 innings — the 12th such occurrence in club history. Matt Dermody threw a career-high-tying three innings in relief on that night, tossing a scoreless 13th, 14th and 15th.
TOUGH CROWD
The Red Sox were first in the AL East by 3.5 games heading into Wednesday’s game, but they were still getting ripped in the local media. Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald just hammered the home side in the wake of Tuesday’s report that the Red Sox used an Apple Watch to steal signs this season. Buckley was not impressed about the scandal, nor was he impressed that manager John Farrell and team’s front office didn’t support Hall of Famer/ turned Red Sox broadcaster Dennis Eckersley after the “insufferable whiner” David Price verbally abused Eckersley before a team flight to Toronto. Boston’s reputation as the toughest media market in baseball is well-founded. Imagine if this team wasn’t in first place.
* The Toronto Star
Biagini, Blue Jays drop soggy series finale at Fenway
Laura Armstrong
BOSTON—Joe Biagini was looking for consistency after his best start of the season — seven shutout innings and 10 strikeouts against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.
The fill-in starter who hopes to become a permanent part of the Blue Jays’ rotation is nearing the end of an up-and-down campaign, and hoping to finish on a high.
Wednesday night’s performance wasn’t a step in that direction.
The 27-year-old right-hander allowed five runs in 3 1/3 innings and the Jays went on to lose 6-1 to the Red Sox in the rainy finale of a three-game series at Fenway Park.
Boston’s offence knocked out Biagini with a four-run fourth inning, including Jackie Bradley Jr.’s two-run homer.
“I felt like I could have done a better job of that,” Biagini said. “After a while, it gets kind of old saying that, and that just adds to the frustration of it, because I feel like my stuff can translate. I feel like I have made some good pitches, but it just wasn’t as consistent as I would have liked.”
The series opened with promise for the Jays — a 10-4 blowout win for the visitors — before Wednesday night’s six-hour, 19-inning marathon, a 3-2 loss after closer Roberto Osuna squandered a 2-0 lead in the ninth.
The American League East-leading Red Sox are 4-12 against their division rivals this season.
Boston made just two lineup changes from the long night before, while the Jays made five. Jose Bautista and Kevin Pillar, who played all 19 innings, plus Josh Donaldson, ejected for arguing a strike call in the 18th, took Wednesday night off.
The Jays scored their lone run in the first inning. They loaded the bases off Red Sox starter Doug Fister on Ezequiel Carrera’s single, Justin Smoak’s double and a walk to Michael Saunders, with Carrera scoring on another walk to Miguel Montero.
Boston responded in the bottom of the frame when Eduardo Nunez led off with a single, stole second, advance on Dustin Pedroia’s line out to centre and scored on an Andrew Benintendi RBI groundout.
The rain that had threatened all day began in that fourth inning that proved to be Biagini’s undoing. He walked Mitch Moreland before Xander Bogaerts tripled to give Boston a 2-1 advantage. A single by Rafael Devers brought Bogaerts home from third. Bradley Jr.’s homer capped the inning.
Biagini left with two runners aboard, handing off to reliever Tim Mayza, who got Pedroia to ground into an inning-ending double play. Carlos Ramirez followed with two shutout innings and still has yet to allow an earned run this season, major leagues and minors combined.
Devers scored the game’s final run in the sixth, on an error by shortstop Richard Urena.
The Jays have Thursday off before hosting the Detroit Tigers for a three-game series at the Rogers Centre. The club had yet to determine whether Marcus Stroman — who took a 108-m.p.h. line drive off his pitching elbow last Saturday in Baltimore — will be available for Friday’s start. Acting manager DeMarlo Hale said Stroman would be re-evaluated on Thursday.
“If he feels good, he’ll start,” Hale said. “Tomorrow will be a big day when he comes in and gets more treatment and (does) a little throwing.”
September call-ups Luis Santos and Chris Rowley are both options. The Jays could also move Saturday starter Brett Anderson up a day.
Fister sharp again, Bradley homers; Red Sox beat Jays 6-1
BOSTON — Doug Fister has quickly gone from a pitcher looking for a big league job right into being a key starter for a team chasing a division title.
Fister gave up one run over seven innings, Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs and the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 on Wednesday night, a day after the teams played a 19-inning marathon.
The Red Sox claimed the 33-year-old Fister in June after he opted out of a Triple-A contract and was released by the Los Angeles Angels. In the last couple weeks, he's clearly been Boston's best starter.
"To say that when we got him from the Angels that he would be running a streak of starts consecutively like he is, no — he's surpassed the initial expectation," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "He's doing a great job."
It was the second straight win for the AL East-leading Red Sox, who moved four games ahead of the second-place Yankees. New York's game at Baltimore was rained out.
Playing just 18 hours after completing a 3-2 victory that lasted six hours and ended on Hanley Ramirez's bloop single, the Red Sox took charge with a four-run fourth that was capped by Bradley's homer.
Fister (5-7) allowed four hits, struck out nine and walked three, improving to 3-1 in his last four starts with a 1.50 ERA.
"It's definitely a fun time of year, being anxious for what might come," he said. "I just continually work hard each and every day."
Joe Biagini (3-10) was tagged for five runs in 3 1/3 innings.
With rain starting to fall when the Red Sox came to the plate in the fourth, Xander Bogaerts halted a 3-for- 33 stretch by lining an opposite field RBI triple and scored on Rafael Devers' single. Bradley then belted his homer into Boston's bullpen, making it 5-1.
"I thought he threw the ball pretty good early under these conditions," Blue Jays acting manager DeMarlo Hale said of Biagini. "You think about the fourth inning, really the big blow was the home run. He left a changeup up to Bradley and I thought that was really the big blow of the game."
Biagini didn't waste time analyzing his outing.
"Bad. That's a short answer for you," he said. "It's a search for consistency, consistency of release point. Just aggressiveness and all that good stuff."
Both teams scored a run in the first.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: LHP David Price (left elbow inflammation) threw his fourth bullpen session of the week and Farrell said he's expected to pitch a simulated game Saturday. ... Farrell decided to DH 2B Dustin Pedroia with the forecast of showers to limit playing on his left knee that landed him on the DL with inflammation for nearly three weeks last month.
LET ME SEE, TOO
Fister stood on the edge of the mound and joined in, looking at an iPad that Red Sox head groundskeeper Dave Mellor brought out to show the umpires the radar before the sixth.
SLOW STARTS
During his strong four-start stretch, Fister has allowed all five of his runs in the opening inning.
Miguel Montero drew a bases-loaded walk after Fister gave up a leadoff single to Ezequiel Carrera, a double to Justin Smoak and a walk to Michael Saunders.
"He gets into the rhythm of the game. It takes him an inning," Farrell said. "It's been uncanny how similar the beginning of games are and how he finishes out."
EASY THEFTS
The Red Sox were 4 for 4 in stolen base attempts, and improved to 29 for 32 this season against Toronto, the most steals by any club in the majors against an opponent this season.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: Off Thursday. They open a three-game series at Rogers Centre on Friday against Detroit. RHP Marcus Stroman (11-6, 3.08 ERA) is scheduled to start after leaving his last one when he was hit on the right elbow with a line drive.
Red Sox: Off Thursday. LHP Drew Pomeranz (14-5, 3.36) looks to rebound after his career-best eight- game winning streak was halted in his last start when Boston opens a three-game series against Tampa Bay at Fenway Park on Friday.
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia confused about fuss over sign stealing
BOSTON (AP) — It was 4:30 p.m. when Red Sox manager John Farrell walked into his pregame meeting with reporters on Wednesday, a little later than usual because of the 19-inning game the night before.
"Good morning," a reporter greeted him, prompting Farrell to look at his wrist to check the time.
"It's not an Apple Watch," he said.
If the Red Sox are concerned about a Major League Baseball investigation into using the high-tech timepieces to steal pitch signs from the New York Yankees, they aren't showing it. A day after The New York Times reported that the Yankees had filed a complaint about the practice, the AL East leaders expressed little concern about possible punishment.
"It's part of the game," said Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia, one of the players implicated in the sign-stealing scheme. "Our adjustment to that stuff is: go out to the mound and change the signs. ... It's been around a long, long time. We were doing that at Douglas Junior High School, where I played. So I don't think this should be news to anybody."
According to the paper, the Red Sox admitted to Major League Baseball that they used an Apple Watch to relay signals to Boston players. Sign-stealing has a long tradition in baseball and is not prohibited, but the use of technology to do it is against the rules.
Farrell has said he knew his players were trying to steal signs but was not aware they were using the watch to do it. Pedroia said he didn't know where the line is drawn.
"I don't really know what the rule book says on that," he said. "I know we have iPads in the dugout. ... Are we not supposed to have iPads in there? I don't know."
The Red Sox filed a counter-complaint that the Yankees used TV cameras to help them steal signs. Commissioner Rob Manfred, who was in Boston for a previously scheduled event, said he was not surprised that two of the sport's oldest rivals were sniping at each other while competing for the AL East title.
"I do believe that this is a charged situation from a competitive perspective, when you have the kind of rivalry that the Yankees and the Red Sox have," he said. "I guess it's not shocking you could have charges and counter-charges like this."
But Pedroia seemed irked that Yankees management had complained.
"I know the players, on both sides, I'm sure are probably ... I don't think it's from them," he said. "We already played them 19 times. What did they beat us, 11? They beat us. I'm not going to cry to anybody about it. It's baseball."
And if the Yankees were trying to gain a psychological edge, Pedroia said that won't work, either.
"Playing in this environment, we're going to have a thick skin and turn the page on whatever's being said. A lot of it is just talk. That's it. You just go play," he said. "We have a 3 ½-game lead in our division. Other than that, nobody (cares). We're trying to win baseball games."