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Betts Earns 4th Gold Glove

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Red Sox Mookie Betts was named Sunday as the American League’s winner of a 2019 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards at right field. It’s the fourth straight win for the 27-year-old. Betts joins Red Sox Hall of Famer Dwight Evans as the only Boston players ever to win a Gold Glove Award in as many as four straight seasons.

During 2019 and in 132 games in right field (and 17 games at center), Betts recorded 10 assists and was charged with two errors. Betts led American League outfielders with 15 defensive runs saved and ranked second with a 12.6 ultimate zone rating.

Betts joins Nolan Arenado and Zack Greinke as the only major leaguers to win a Gold Glove Award in each of the last four years (2016-19). He is only the fifth Sox player ever to be recognized as many as four times, joining second baseman Dustin Pedroia (4 awards) and outfielders Evans (8), Carl Yastrzemski (7), and Fred Lynn (4).

Three other Boston fielders were runners up for 2019 Gold Gloves. In center field, nominees Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Angels Mike Trout missed out to Rays winner Kevin Kiermaier. At catcher, Christian Vázquez and Blue Jays Danny Jansen came in behind the Indians Roberto Pérez. And in left field Andrew Benintendi and the Athletics Robbie Grossman missed out to the Royals Alex Gordon.

The Gold Glove honors the best defenders at each position in each league. Since the first award in 1957, 23 different Red Sox have combined to earn 49 Gold Glove Awards.


Red Sox Pound Yankees In “First Game” of 2018

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Does it count more now?

For over a week and despite an 8-1 start, fans have endured nagging question about just how “real” this Red Sox team is. Boston was off to a historical start to the season, but questions lingered given the quality of their opponents.

But on Tuesday—at least for a day—the Red Sox made it clear that they’re built to compete, pounding the Yankees in an unyielding 14-1 attack. The game marked just the seventh time since at least 1908 that New York lost to Boston by a 13-run margin or more. Their six unearned runs allowed was their most since July 14, 2011 at Toronto.

Routinely-dominant Chris Sale, now in his second year with the Sox, earned his first win against New York in a Boston uniform. Though 4-4 with a 1.75 ERA in 15 career games against the Bombers, Sale was 0-3 in five starts against them in 2017, his first with the Sox, including going 0-2 in three of those games at Fenway.

On Tuesday, Sale allowed eight hits (all but one were singles) over 6.0 innings. He walked no one and punched out eight, allowing just one earned run, a solo shot by the formidable Aaron Judge, who entered the game 0-for-12 lifetime against Sale.

Red Sox offense was hot right out of the gate. Mookie Betts, the lead story in a rich night of Sox offense, belted a lead-off double for a third straight game. Betts would go on to enjoy a historical night at Fenway, becoming the first big leaguer with five runs against the Yankees since Luis Castillo nearly ten years ago.

Now, some additional notes on last night’s game.

  • Sale is the first Sox starter to work 6.0+ innings against the Yankees with no walks, no more than one extra-base hit, and no more than one run allowed since Wednesday’s starter, David Price, last July 16. Before Price, the last Boston pitcher with such a game was Jon Lester on August 9, 2009.
  • Betts is the seventh player ever to score a record five runs against the Yankees and the first Red Sox player to achieve that feat since at least 1908.
  • Betts had a single, two doubles, and a grand slam. It was his 11th career game with three or more extra-base hits, tying him with Nomar Garciaparra and Dwight Evans for fifth-most such games in club history after David Ortiz (21 games), Ted Williams (19), Bobby Doerr (13) and Carl Yastrzemski (12).
  • Betts’ grand slam was the first by the Red Sox since Jarrod Saltalamacchia‘s on September 13, 2013, also at Fenway.
  • Betts is the first Red Sox with four or more hits, RBI, and runs scored against the Yankees since at least 1908. The last player of any team to do that against New York was the Tigers Brennan Boesch on April 3, 2011.
  • Boston’s first three batters, Betts, Andrew Benintendi, and Hanley Ramírez, were a combined 8-for-9 (.889) with 8 runs, 3 doubles, a triple, home run, 9 RBI, and 4 walks.
  • Ramírez added three RBI Tuesday for the club lead this season (11). Ramírez now has five multi-hit, multi-RBI games this season. No other MLB player has more than three such games.
  • Ramírez is the only Boston batter in the last 100 years with multiple hits and multiple RBI in five of the team’s first 10 games.
  • The Yankees had not allowed 14+ opponent runs since a 1-15 loss against the Astros on August 25, 2015.
  • The Red Sox exploded for nine runs in the 6th inning, their most since scoring 10 in the ninth inning at the Twins last May 7. The last time Boston scored that many runs in one inning against the Yankees was May 31, 1998 (11 runs in the ninth).
  • Boston has not committed an error in any of their first 10 games, the longest streak by any major league team to begin a season since at least 1940.

 


Benintendi Agent Fired

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Some startling news today. Jason Wood, the president of baseball for the agency CSE, was fired for allegedly filming ballplayers in the shower at his home in St. Louis. Multiple players, including Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi, have stayed with Wood during the off-season. Other players associated with Wood include Jake Odorizzi, Riley Pint, David Phelps, Joey Wentz, and Matt Reynolds.

Wood has specialized in aggressively signing amateur players across the Midwest, according to Yahoo Sports.

CSE acquired Wood’s original firm, Arland Sports, last April after which Wood became head of its baseball division. The Major League Baseball Players Association confirmed an investigation is underway according to FanRag Sports.

Now some other news and notes for Red Sox fans:

  • Red Sox baseball president Dave Dombrowski has been called “Dealer Dave” for his many high-profile signings over the years. When it comes to getting the Sox a deal for slugger J.D. Martinez, however, some are wondering why Dombrowski appears gun shy. Over at WEEI.com, Rob Bradford makes the case for going beyond the five year commitment that the Sox have reportedly already offered.
  • Michael Chavis, the Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player the Year for 2017, hopes this will be the year he makes it to the big leagues. Chavis, 22, slashed .282/.347/.563 with 31 home runs and 94 RBIs last season in 126 games at High-A Salem and Double-A Portland. He says he’s received a good sign from the heavens that he may have a spot on the field at Fenway in 2018.
  • Jason Groome tops the new Red Sox prospects list at Baseball Prospectus. Chavis was second followed by Bryan Mata. Groome and Chavis also held the top two spots on a similar recent list from Baseball America, though they went with Tanner Houck for third place, then Mata in the four-spot.
  • This Tuesday marked the 65th anniversary of Ted Williams‘ call to active duty by the US Marines. Williams had already played four seasons with the Sox (1939-42) before missing the next three for service to his country. In Korea, the future Hall of Famer flew 39 missions and even survived a crash-landing after taking on enemy fire. Williams returned to baseball in 1946 and picked up where he left off with six straight All-Star seasons, continuing his streak of three consecutive All-Star selections before the war. In all, the Splendid Splinter would be recognized at the Mid-Summer Classic in 17 of his 19 MLB seasons.
  • Tuesday also marked a somber anniversary in the life of Red Sox Hall of Famer Tony Canigliaro. It was on that day in 1982 that Conigliaro suffered a massive heart attack in Boston while returning from an interview for a broadcasting job. A subsequent stroke left Tony C in a vegetative state for eight years before he succumbed in 1990 at age 45.
  • The Sox have avoided arbitration with pitchers Steven Wright and Carson Smith. It’s been reported they will earn $1.1 million and $850,000 next season, respectively.

Red Sox Stun Yankees Again

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In yet another of this season’s greatest Red Sox games, Friday’s come-from-behind victory over the Yankees ranks right up there. It really had it all.

After three good innings from Drew Pomeranz, the Red Sox had to piece it together in the top of the fourth after Pomeranz left with back spasms. An early Sox 2-0 lead evaporated at the hands of relievers Matt Barnes and Joe Kelly, who allowed two and three runs, respectively.

Particularly painful at the time was four Yankees runs in the top of the seventh. But then, lightning struck again. The Sox rallied for four of their own in the bottom half of the inning and got two more in the bottom of the eighth to come away with the win.

As usual, you can find recaps in all the usual places. Let’s focus, instead, on some of the more interesting stats from Friday’s match-up.

  • Rafael Devers‘ home run on Friday made him just the third Red Sox ever with homers in back-to-back games against the Yankees before turning 21. He’s in elite company. The others are Babe Ruth in 1915 and Ted Williams in 1939. Only Ruth did able to accomplish the feat in three consecutive games. Devers will have the chance to match the Babe’s record on Saturday.
  • Devers’ seven home runs over his first 19 career games ties him with Sam Horn in 1987 for second-most over that time in Red Sox history. Only George Scott of the 1966 club had more (9).
  • Devers’ 26 hits is the most by a Red Sox batter over his first 19 career games since Sox Hall of Famer Johnny Pesky had 26 in 1942. Only Tom Oliver had more in club history (35 in 1930).
  • Only Scott (1.270), Fred Lynn (1.188), and Horn (1.145) had a better OPS than Devers (1.118) over 19 first games with the club (minimum 40 at-bats).
  • Mitch Moreland pushed the Sox ahead with a pinch-hit, two-out base hit in the seventh. Moreland is now 22-for-70 (.314) in 78 career games as a pinch hitter. All told, the Sox are now tied with the Rays for the most two-out, go-ahead RBI coming in 7th inning or later this season (9).
  • Andrew Benintendi (1-for-5) extended his career-best hitting streak to 11 games on Friday.
  • Brandon Workman came into the game in the fourth inning marking his earliest appearance in a game since he started against the Pirates on September 18, 2014.
  • Friday’s was the Red Sox’ 70th overall win and makes them 12-2 for an .857 win percentage in August. The club’s best August was 24-6 in 1950, an .800 win percentage.

The Red Sox offense is sparking up at just the right time. For their last 15 games, Boston leads the American League in runs per game (6.3). While the Sox bullpen has been outstanding overall (their 3.11 ERA is still third-best in the baseball after the Dodgers and Indians), over the past seven games a they are responsible for a 6.23 ERA.

Despite the runs allowed, Red Sox pitchers held Yankees batters to 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position on Friday. New York tied its own season high for a nine-inning game with 14 men left on base.

On Friday, Yankees rookie phenom Aaron Judge‘s marked his 35th straight game with a strikeout, the most by a position player in baseball history. “We don’t talk about it,” Yankees hitting coach Alan Cockrell told the New York Post.


Devers Magic, But Sox Lose

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After such an exciting weekend series in New York, Monday’s 7-3 Red Sox loss to the Indians was especially disappointing, particularly given the Yankees’ come-from-behind 4-2 win over the Mets.

Monday’s game was a do-over for a rain out in the series between these two clubs earlier in the month. Boston already won the series with wins on July 31 and August 1.

After two good performances in his most recent starts, the Sox were at an almost immediate disadvantage when starter Doug Fister allowed three quick runs by the Indians in the second inning.

Boston rallied to tie the game by the end of the fourth, but Cleveland immediately scored twice in each of the next two frames, both coming on two-run blasts by Edwin Encarnacion. Encarnacion’s 20 multi-HR games in the last 5 years (2013-17) are tied with the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton for the most in the Major Leagues in that time.

Fister only made it through 4.1 IP with five runs allowed on seven hits. He struck out five but uncharacteristically walked four. With Monday’s loss, Fister now stands at 2-6 with a 5.56 ERA.

Indians starter Trevor Bauer, on the other hand, went 6.2 IP allowing three Boston runs on seven hits with 11 strikeouts, his second performance with 10+ strikeouts this season.

Sox Score Exclusively on Home Runs

In a season where home runs have been tough to come by, all three Red Sox runs on Monday came on solo shots, including two in back-to-back plate appearances by Rafael Devers and another by Andrew Benintendi. The home run for Benintendi extended his hitting streak to a career-best eight games. Benintendi has driven in at least one run in each of his last four games.

Devers, at age 20 years, 295 days, became the youngest player with two home runs in a game since Bryce Harper on April 20, 2013 at age 20 years, 186 days. No Red Sox player as young as Devers has belted two HRs in a game since Tony Conigliaro in 1965 at age 20 years, 253 days. The only other Red Sox hitters since 1913 with a multi-HR game before turning 21 are Ted Williams (1) and Conigliaro (4).

It was the first Fenway game in which a player on each team recorded multiple HR since May 18, 2008, when David Ortiz and the Brewers Ryan Braun each homered twice.

Devers is only the second Boston hitter in the last 100 seasons with six or more home runs in his first 16 career games, joining Sam Horn, who had seven in that time.

The Red Sox now have multiple home runs in their last six games at Fenway Park, the longest multi-HR streak there since six games in July, 2004.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier. Interleague play resumes Tuesday with two games against the Cardinals before an off-day and the return of the Yankees for another weekend series, this time in Boston. Then the Sox head to Cleveland for four more against the Tribe.