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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 4:53:36 GMT -5
One of the best Red Sox players to ever play and then shipped out of town returns today with once again a good shot and winning NL MVP.
Tonight's game is on Apple ( weather permitting at 7pm)
Lynn 3-0/1.44
Crawford 6-6/ 3.66
Dodgers' Mookie Betts makes first return to Boston FLM
Familiar faces will return to Boston when the Los Angeles Dodgers begin a three-game series against the Red Sox on Friday night.
The Dodgers last visited Boston in 2019 when a July weekend series marked the only other meeting between the teams since the 2018 World Series.
Highlighting the Dodgers' returnees is star outfielder Mookie Betts, the 2018 American League MVP who has never played in Boston as a visitor. He was traded to Los Angeles along with pitcher David Price in February 2020. The Red Sox got back three players, two are still regulars for them, outfielder Alex Verdugo and catcher Connor Wong.
"This will be my first time going back since 2019. I'm really nervous," Betts said on his Bleacher Report podcast this week. "It's more just that I haven't been back in so long. It's where I grew up, and I don't know what to expect. ... I think it will be fun."
Betts enters the weekend scorching hot after going 5-for-5 in the completion of a suspended game in Cleveland on Thursday and then 2-for-3 in the series finale that followed. The Dodgers won 6-1 and 9-3, respectively.
Right-hander Ryan Brasier and utility man Enrique Hernandez are two other former Red Sox players who are on the Dodgers' active roster. Hernandez was just acquired from Boston on July 25.
"I'm sure Fenway is going to show up for (Betts)," Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale said.
The Dodgers will give the ball to 36-year-old Lance Lynn (9-9, 5.60 ERA) on Friday. Lynn is 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in four starts (25 innings) since joining the Dodgers from the Chicago White Sox in a July 28 trade.
The right-hander, who has allowed a total of one earned run over his past three outings, scattered four hits across seven shutout innings in a no-decision on Aug. 17 against the Milwaukee Brewers. The eventual 1-0 win capped the Dodgers' 11-game winning streak.
"I think this is kind of what we imagined at the beginning of the season with what our staff is and what it has been since I've been here," Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said. "Lance fills up hitters during the game. He's been doing it for a long time."
The Red Sox return home after dominating in a 17-1 win at Houston on Thursday, splitting a four-game series while earning their fifth victory in seven games.
The recent run has lifted Boston within 3 1/2 games of a playoff spot.
"A lot of people thought this season was over three days ago," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, "but that's not the case."
Wilyer Abreu, Wong and Verdugo each had four hits, including a home run. For Abreu, it was the first long ball of his major league career. He made his debut on Tuesday after socking 22 homers in 86 games for Triple-A Worcester this season.
"There's a reason he's here," Cora said. "(Worcester manager) Chad Tracy was very happy with the way he had been playing. He's a good runner. He's a good defender. He's a good hitter."
Boston right-hander Kutter Crawford (6-6, 3.66 ERA) is slated to make his first career appearance against the Dodgers.
Crawford pitched 5 1/3 no-hit innings before allowing a home run to the Yankees' Aaron Judge in his latest start, on Saturday at New York. He wound up yielding just the one run and one hit while walking two and fanning five in six innings en route to an 8-1 win.
--Field Level Media
Dodgers at Red Sox Friday, at 7:10 PM EST Likely To Be Delayed Or Rained Out It's expected to be 68° F with a 67% chance of rain and 13 MPH wind blowing right to left in Boston at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 4:56:02 GMT -5
Rest of Welcome Home Mookie Match Ups
Saturday/ 4pm/ Urias 11-6/4.15 vs Paxton 7-4/ 3.79
Sunday/ 1:30pm/ Sheehan 3-1/ 5.63 vs Houck 3-7/ 5.08
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 5:10:25 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: Jansen (hamstring) hopeful to avoid IL August 24th, 2023
LATEST NEWS
Aug. 24: RHP Kenley Jansen out Thursday with right hamstring tightness Jansen exited after throwing just three pitches, wincing after the second pitch and favoring his right leg in Wednesday’s win vs. the Astros. Manager Alex Cora said Jansen would be unavailable for Thursday's finale in Houston, and the club would re-evaluate when it returns home Friday. The righty closer was hopeful he could avoid a stint on the injured list.
"It grabbed in the workout the first day here [Monday], but I felt great," Jansen said before Thursday's series finale. "I tried to pitch yesterday with it. Everything was going well, but I guess when I got to game intensity it grabbed me again. So it's weird -- like I feel great right now -- but I just have to give it a few days and see how I feel."
Jansen had converted each of his last 20 save opportunities dating back to May 20. The right-hander has a 2.81 ERA in 46 relief appearances, including 29 saves.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 5:11:56 GMT -5
Betts set to return to Fenway for first time since being traded August 24th, 2023 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The most-anticipated series of the season at Fenway Park will start on Friday night with a thunderous standing ovation for Dodgers leadoff man Mookie Betts.
The man of the hour -- the man of the weekend – will dig into that batter's box he once called home for the first time since Sept. 30, 2019.
And it will undoubtedly be as therapeutic for Red Sox fans as it is for Betts, whose 815-game run for Boston (including playoffs) ended with a trade to the Dodgers on Feb. 10, 2020.
Red Sox Nation never got a chance to give Betts a proper goodbye. And Betts never got the chance to doff his cap one last time to the adoring Fenway faithful.
Both sides get that chance on Friday.
Fittingly, the final act for Betts as a Red Sox player was an electrifying moment for one of the most explosive athletes in team history.
It was the season finale of the ’19 season when Rafael Devers hit a chopper that just made it past the glove of Baltimore infielder Richie Martin and into right field. Off with the pitch, Betts roared from first to third. After briefly stopping at third, Betts noticed the hesitation from right fielder Stevie Wilkerson and motored home head-first for a walk-off run.
With that run, a disappointing season ended in Boston less than a year after a World Series parade.
For an instant early that Sunday evening, everyone forgot about the letdown season for the Red Sox and reveled in the latest jolt of excitement provided by Betts.
As the crowd at Fenway celebrated, Betts let out a primal scream and hugged his long-time teammate Xander Bogaerts.
Who could have known it would take nearly four years after that mad dash into the offseason for Betts to return to Fenway?
The Red Sox selected Betts out of Overton (Tenn.) High School in the fifth round of the 2011 Draft.
Betts used his bat, arm, legs and work ethic to soar above the expected performance of a fifth-round Draft pick.
In his six seasons with the Red Sox, Betts won an American League Most Valuable Player Award, a World Series championship, three Silver Slugger Awards and four Gold Glove Awards while earning four trips to the All-Star Game.
His departure came down to business. The Red Sox made several long-term offers to Betts through the years. He turned those down, thinking he could do better -- he was right, it turned out -- as a free agent.
Unwilling to risk losing Betts for nothing more than Draft compensation if he left as a free agent after the ’20 season, the Red Sox, under new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, made a preemptive strike by trading him to the Dodgers.
In return, the Red Sox got their current starting right fielder (Alex Verdugo), starting catcher (Connor Wong) and a prospect in Jeter Downs who didn’t live up to expectations and was designated for assignment back in January and landed with the Nationals.
Bloom’s feeling was that the Red Sox didn’t have enough of a foundation in the farm system to afford a huge contract for Betts and to build a championship team around him during his remaining prime years.
When the Red Sox extended Devers with a 10-year, $313.5 million contract that will kick in starting in ’24, Bloom expressed that the organizational foundation had improved enough to make such a financial commitment.
Betts has continued to be one of the best all-around players in the game with Los Angeles and picked up another World Series ring in ’20.
The Red Sox, who are fighting for the third AL Wild Card slot, are still in the process of trying to build their next championship core.
The business of baseball will take a backseat on Friday, though, when Betts finally comes home, even if it's only for the weekend.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 5:15:59 GMT -5
Alex Cora on Mookie Betts’ return: Red Sox fan should be there by 1st pitch
Updated: Aug. 24, 2023, 3:30 p.m.|Published: Aug. 24, 2023, 3:11 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
HOUSTON — Mookie Betts will return to Fenway Park on Friday for the first time since the Red Sox traded him to the Dodgers on Feb. 10, 2020. Betts has been the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter in all 117 games he has started this season. So expect him to step to the plate right at first pitch, which is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
“It should be a standing ovation,” manager Alex Cora said. “I’m obviously not going to tell the fans to get there by first pitch but they should, to be honest with you. Because it’s going to be a special moment. This is a special kid that did a lot of great things for the organization not only on the field but off the field, too. He’s an impactful player. It just so happens he’s playing for the Dodgers now. But I think for the game, he’s becoming one of those guys that he’s the face of the game.”
Cora is glad to see Betts showing off his personality but he also plans to tease him for it this weekend.
“Now he’s doing podcasts and all that stuff, wearing glasses and acting like he’s a tough customer,” Cora said. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow about that. Yeah, I saw the one (video) with Kiké (Hernández) yesterday. I mean come on. Save it. Let’s go. He’s hearing about it. But all joking aside, he’s great. And he’s in a good spot. His family is enjoying everything they’re doing on the West Coast.”
The 30-year-old Betts is batting .308 with a .402 on-base percentage, .604 slugging percentage, 1.006 OPS, 34 homers, 34 doubles, one triple, 88 RBIs and 104 runs in 119 games for Los Angeles this season. He’s second in the majors in WAR (6.7), per Fangraphs.com.
Cora said he has heard people calling this Betts’ best season yet. But the Red Sox manager disagrees.
“Nah. This year is not even close (to ‘18),” Cora said. “.330 with a 1.000 OPS, stealing bases, playing defense, setting the tempo for the best team in baseball.”
Betts won the 2018 AL MVP when he batted .346 with a .438 on-base percentage, .640 slugging percentage, 1.078 OPS, 32 homers, 47 doubles, five triples, 80 RBIs and 129 runs in 136 games. He led the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and runs.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 5:30:14 GMT -5
Fred Lynn on Mookie Betts’ return to Fenway: ‘It’s gonna be very emotional’ for him
By Gabrielle Starr | gstarr@bostonherald.com | PUBLISHED: August 24, 2023 at 8:57 p.m. | UPDATED: August 24, 2023 at 9:37 p.m.
CAMBRIDGE — One night every summer, the Oldtime Baseball Game takes over a diamond at St. Peter’s Field in Cambridge, Mass., to play ball in authentic uniforms and raise money for good causes.
It was those old uniforms that piqued Fred Lynn’s interest when the Red Sox reached out and asked if he’d be the marquee guest for the 29th annual event on Thursday night.
“They said it was ‘Old-time baseball,’ and that got my attention right away,” Lynn told the Herald. “They said it would be flannel uniforms, and I thought, who’s wearing that?”
The uniforms are a staple of the annual summer game. Thick, heavy woolen fabrics bearing the names of teams long gone, and the numbers of players long retired, including an authentic Ted Williams outfit.
Lynn didn’t suit up himself, but other former Red Sox stars have in the past; Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens are among the many legendary former Oldtime guests. Instead Lynn, who underwent double knee replacement during the winter, was content to manage and engage with fans, including one eager to show him a photo they’d taken together decades ago, when she was a small child.
The 1975 American League Rookie of the Year and MVP hasn’t worn a Red Sox uniform since 1980, but he remains deeply connected to the organization and its fans. He responds to them on the platform formerly known as Twitter, and regularly voices his opinions about the current state of the game.
So, what does one of the greatest Red Sox outfielders of all time think of the current squad?
“I knew going into the season, they had some deficiencies,” Lynn said. “Starting pitching was always going to be a question, if they had enough, and if they had enough power, if they had a true centerfielder. We didn’t know about (Jarren) Duran then, so it was a question mark.
“But you know what? It’s been surprising to me how many runs they’ve scored. They’re kind of old-time, they score runs without hitting home runs. It’s a cool thing to do in today’s game.”
“Now, if they can play a little defense and continue to hit, they got their work cut out for them, some tough teams to pass to get to the playoffs, they could hang in there,” he assessed. “Fenway Park is a place where hitters love to play, but you gotta play defense. You can’t give the other team extra outs, it will work against you in the end.”
“I know they’re gonna hit, I think they’re gonna continue to hit, but you gotta tighten up that defense,” the four-time Gold Glove winner said.
Lynn is back in town for the weekend. After serving as one of the managers for the Oldtime game, he’ll be in Fenway Park’s Legends Suite this weekend, watching the Red Sox host the Los Angeles Dodgers and welcome back Mookie Betts for the first time since the infamous February 2020 trade.
Few are as qualified to speak to how Betts will feel in this homecoming. The Red Sox traded Lynn to the Angels before the 1981 season.
“I know what it’s like to do that, to come back,” he said.
“It’s gonna be very emotional. He doesn’t know, he really doesn’t. He thinks he does, but when he walks up there,” Lynn’s voice trailed off.
“I know fans are gonna applaud him, and then they’re not, because he’s the enemy,” he said with a smile.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 5:32:29 GMT -5
Four years after the Red Sox traded him to the Dodgers, Mookie Betts returns to Boston as great as he ever was. ‘I’m just in a different place.’ By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated August 24, 2023, 43 minutes ago
CLEVELAND — It has been nearly four years since Mookie Betts last played a game at Fenway Park. Maybe you remember it.
Or is that you can’t forget that day?
It was the final game of the 2019 season and the Red Sox and Orioles were tied going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Betts drew a leadoff walk before Rafael Devers bounced a single into right field.
Betts took off for third base. When right fielder Stevie Wilkerson jogged a few steps before lobbing the ball back in, he kept going.
Betts slid across the plate to win the game, hopped to his feet, and let out a yell as he was mobbed by joyous teammates. The crowd roared in appreciation.
Imagine trading that player? Yet the Red Sox did only a few months later, sending Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Now he returns to Fenway Park on Friday, not having been in Boston since the day after that memorable slide.
“I just want it to be about baseball,” Betts told the Globe when the Dodgers played the Guardians earlier this week. “I know it’s going to be cool, but I don’t want it to be about me. But it is what it is and I’ll be grateful for whatever happens.”
The Red Sox are the only team Betts has yet to play against during a career that has him on a path to the Hall of Fame.
They will face a player at the peak of his many powers. Betts is among the MLB leaders in OPS, runs scored, and extra-base hits while playing right field, second base, and shortstop on a regular basis for a powerhouse team.
“He’s the same Mookie. Ridiculously good at baseball and a great dude, a great teammate,” said Ryan Brasier, who played with Betts in Boston and now again in Los Angeles. “To see him play second base like he’s been doing it all his career is amazing to me. He just stepped up and started making plays.
“He could probably be the catcher and figure it out. I’m serious, he’s that good.” Related: A tale of two grand slams: Mookie Betts, Pablo Reyes, and the direction of Chaim Bloom’s Red Sox Same player, different place
While he’s the same player, Betts is a different person. He turns 31 in October and is now married and a father of two.
Betts said a “big crew” of friends and family will be at the series this weekend. Among them will be his wife, Brianna, daughter Kynlee and son Kaj, who was born in April.
“We all love Boston, man,” Betts said. “That’s where we all grew up. Great memories. It’s a whole new team there now, a whole new everything, really. Maybe some people will have different emotions, but I think it will be cool.”
Betts still watches every Red Sox game he can and talks to manager Alex Cora once a week.
“AC was a big part of my life and still is,” Betts said. “It’s not always baseball when we talk, it’s about life and our families. He’s always going to be a friend.” “[Alex Cora] was a big part of my life and still is,” Mookie Betts said. “It’s not always baseball when we talk, it’s about life and our families. He’s always going to be a friend.”
Cora was not working for the Sox at the time of the trade, having been suspended by Major League Baseball.
“We text and we talk. But it won’t be weird to see him in another uniform,” Cora said. “I’m over that.”
Betts is, too, having already played more postseason games for the Dodgers (34) than he did for the Red Sox (21). But there is still a part of him that wonders how it ever came to that.
A Red Sox for life?
Until the day he was traded, Betts expected he would play his entire career with the Sox. As he approached free agency in 2020, his intent was to make a deal to stay in Boston.
“Most people don’t believe it. But why would I lie about that? I did,” he said. “That was my team. Just because I didn’t take an offer didn’t mean I didn’t want to be there. There’s a business component to the game.
“We were looking for houses in Boston. We thought it was going to work out. I thought both sides were playing the slow game and it would eventually work out. We were negotiating, that’s what I thought.”
Betts said he never gave the Sox any ultimatum or a figure they had to meet.
“Normal negotiations, going back and forth,” he said. “Of course I’m going to stand my ground just like you should stand your ground. But I thought we’d keep talking.”
Betts was adamant that the Red Sox never offered him a deal worth $300 million over 10 years.
“That never happened,” he said. “I know that’s out there and people say what they’ve got to say. But no, they didn’t do that. They didn’t.” Mookie Betts says he intended to sign a contract extension with the Red Sox in the 2019-20 offseason, but that Boston never offered him a contract worth $300 million over 10 years.
Betts was traded as spring training started in 2020 and that July agreed to a 12-year, $365 million contract with the Dodgers.
A World Series championship followed in October and Betts has become an icon in Los Angeles, representing his team and sport across the media spectrum.
“I don’t view myself like that,” Betts said. “I’m just a kid who wants to come out and play baseball. But the Dodgers have forced my hand on certain things and I’m glad about it. I’ve embraced those things.
“You have to be able to play well first, that’s the hard part. Nobody is going to listen to someone who doesn’t. I take care of my job on the field. If opportunities come up off the field, I handle those. But nothing ever gets in the way of my day job.”
Trappings of Tinseltown
Betts was cautious with fame in Boston, careful not to draw attention to himself beyond how he performed on the field. Now he has founded a marketing company, started a podcast, and produced a documentary on Jackie Robinson.
“I’m just in a different place than Boston,” Betts said. “Maybe I could have done the same things in Boston that I have done the last few years. But I wasn’t at that same place in life that I am now.
“There are more opportunities in LA than Boston. Nobody can argue that; it’s a fact. But it’s a combination of more opportunities and growing up a little bit.”
With LeBron James watching from a suite at Dodger Stadium last weekend, Betts hit two home runs in a game against the Marlins.
He saluted James as he crossed the plate after his first homer. James then dramatically tipped his cap to Betts after the second homer as the crowd cheered.
Betts said later it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. But it spoke to his growing comfort with celebrity.
“Mookie is a superstar who doesn’t realize he’s a superstar,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He has a lot of humility but he’s come to terms with Los Angeles and who he is.
“Everyone who puts on a baseball uniform should have the opportunity to play in a city like Boston. It raises the level of expectation.
“But with that, it’s hard to just be a baseball player there because there’s more to it. I think he appreciates the fact that he has more privacy in Los Angeles. It’s not as intense because there are so many famous people. It’s different.”
All for the best
Betts paused when asked if, in retrospect, the trade was the best thing for him.
“Looking back at it, probably. But I don’t know what life would have looked like had I stayed there,” he said. “But the things I have been able to do in LA have been very much a blessing to myself, my kids, and my family.
“I can’t say anything negative about it except the taxes.”
Betts is a full-time California resident who makes trips home to Tennessee in the offseason. Kynlee will start school in LA in the fall.
“It’s not cold and you can go to Disney[land],” Betts said. “What’s not to like?”
Other than Devers and occasionally Chris Sale when he’s healthy, the Sox have an entirely new roster since Betts left. But Betts is looking forward to seeing the coaches, staffers, and other old friends.
“My only plans this weekend are to enjoy the atmosphere and the fans and have that experience again,” he said. “I’ve missed it.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 5:34:11 GMT -5
This Mookie Betts appearance is a painful reminder of the contrasting fortunes of the Dodgers and Red Sox By Dan Shaughnessy Globe Staff,Updated August 24, 2023, 36 minutes ago
Mookie Betts will be at Fenway Park Friday for the first time since he was dealt from Boston in 2020. His mere presence reminds us of an epic Red Sox blunder. It’s a little bit like Babe Ruth returning to Fenway for the first time after Sox owner Harry Frazee sold him to the Yankees in the winter of 1919-20.
On Jan. 10, 2020, less than a month before Betts was dealt, Red Sox owner John Henry, overseeing the top payroll in baseball, returned an email from yours truly and stated, “We are focused on competitiveness over the next 5 years.”
Henry (who also owns the Globe) insisted that competing over the next five years was more important than cutting player payroll.
“You seem to think Chaim [Bloom] was brought in to reduce payroll,” Henry wrote. “That has simply not been the way FSG operates here or across the pond. We try to act responsibly so as to be consistently competitive.”
Three and a half weeks later, Betts was traded to the Dodgers.
In that moment, newbie Bloom said, “It’s reasonable to expect we’re going to be worse.” (They were.)
A week after the trade, Sox ownership convened in Fort Myers, Fla., and took questions. Henry characterized the deal as “a baseball trade,” and chairman Tom Werner said, “It wasn’t a salary dump. It was to give us flexibility. It was a wise trade.”
Here we are almost four years later, and the sample size is embarrassing for the Red Sox.
Since acquiring Betts, the Dodgers are 336-172, have won a World Series, and are likely heading for their third consecutive 100-win, first-place season. Betts has been a three-time All-Star, won two Silver Slugger awards, two Gold Gloves, and this season should finish in the NL’s top five in MVP voting for the third time in four seasons. He comes to Fenway hitting .300 with 34 homers and 86 RBI, top five in all three categories.
In that same period, the Red Sox have finished in last place twice and come into this weekend in fourth place in the AL East with an 11.7 percent chance of securing the AL’s final wild-card playoff spot, according to Fangraphs through Wednesday.
There is one significant bright side for Sox ownership. According to MLB’s Team Payroll Tracker, since the Betts trade, the Sox have dropped from No. 1 to 13th in player payroll and are currently one slot ahead of the Colorado Rockies.
So there you go. Four years in, the Dodgers have four playoff seasons and an annual MVP candidate who makes $27 million annually. In exchange, the Sox (most likely) will have one playoff appearance in four seasons, plus two last-place finishes. They also have Average Al Verdugo, Connor Wong, and lots of payroll flexibility.
Which path do you wish your team chose, Red Sox fans?
The Sox have not contested the convenient narrative that “Mookie wasn’t going to stay here anyway,” which plays well to some of the fan base. Betts disputes that notion. Since the Sox did not competitively compete for his services in 2019-20, we’ll never know what Mookie would have done.
What we do know is the Dodgers are up and the Sox are down. Mookie is in the MVP discussion, while the Sox have Verdugo (benched twice this season) and a serviceable catcher with a career batting average of .234.
Dodgers president, CEO, and part-owner Stan Kasten does not want to rehash the deal, or make any comment about how things have turned out for both sides, but has this to say about Betts: “He has been just what he always has been, whether it was in Boston or LA. He’s a leader on the field and off the field; from the minute he got here, he made that known, but not in a presumptuous way.
“In our first team meeting, he stood up in a room full of players he did not know and said, ‘Look, here’s what I have observed. And here’s what I think we can do better.’ And we wound up winning a World Series.
“He’s a guy who mixes with every player — star or extra man. And then does it by example. He’s on the field, he works hard, he’s great with our community. He’s been everything that we thought we would be getting.
“We did the long-term contract, and that’s what’s even nicer, because that really doesn’t turn out all the time. But here’s a case where at least so far he’s been a great member of the community, a member of the organization.
“He’s not loud or exuberant, but he’s been a regular guy to everyone. Mookie has been terrific since he’s been here and that’s self-evident to everyone who can read a box score.”
In February of 2020, after the deal was made, Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy said, “We traded Mookie Betts to get value back and set yourself up to win another championship. Maybe it was the wrong decision. But that’s why we made the decision.”
How does Kennedy feel about that statement now?
“We traded away an incredible player and an even better person,” Kennedy said this week. “But we absolutely feel we are on the right track towards building a World Series champion this year, next year, and in the years beyond that.
“It’s never easy to trade away a player like Mookie, but it absolutely is part of a strategy to hopefully be playing baseball back in October, as early as this October and certainly in 2024, 2025, and beyond.”
If Kennedy could go back in time, would he do this deal again?
“I’m not going to comment on hindsight or going back,” said the CEO. “It is hard to part ways with someone like Mookie, but I don’t want to go back and re-litigate that. I think we’re looking forward.”
Harry Frazee could not have said it any better.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 5:46:48 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Red Sox expect big welcome back for Mookie Betts when Dodgers series opens at Fenway Park By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated August 24, 2023, 7:21 p.m.
HOUSTON — On Friday, Mookie Betts is set to make his long-awaited return to Fenway Park for the Dodgers’ series with the Red Sox.
Betts, an All-Star, Silver Slugger Award winner, American League MVP and World Series champion with the Red Sox, has gone on to win more awards and another World Series in a Dodgers uniform. He’s settled into his Los Angeles lifestyle, too.
But coming back to Fenway for the first time since he was traded ahead of the 2020 season should bring back some old memories. It certainly will for Sox starter Chris Sale and manager Alex Cora. The fans, too.
“I’m sure Fenway is going to show up for him,” Sale said. “I mean, obviously, he had a historic season [in 2018]. Great career, World Series title, and league MVP. I think it will be a fun weekend.”
With a nod to the impact Betts made in Boston, Cora said the former Sox right fielder deserves his moment of appreciation come Friday.
“It should be a standing ovation,” Cora said. “Obviously, I’m not going to tell the fans to get there by first pitch, but they should, to be honest with you. It’s going to be a special moment. This is a special kid that did a lot of great things for the organization, not only on the field, but off the field, too. He’s an impactful player.
“It just happens that he’s playing for the Dodgers now. But I think for the game, he’s becoming one of those guys that is the face of the game.” Related: ‘I know it’s going to be cool.’ Mookie Betts talks about his return to Boston, life since the trade, and more. Cora makes some noise for Brasier
Former Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez won’t be with the Dodgers after being placed on the injured list with a groin strain this week. Reliever Joe Kelly (forearm), also a part of the 2018 Red Sox championship, is also on the IL for Los Angeles.
Ryan Brasier, yet another member of the 2018 team, will be at Fenway, however. Brasier was designated for assignment by the Red Sox back in May but has found success with the Dodgers, registering a 1.03 ERA in 26⅓ innings covering 25 outings.
Cora said Brasier deserves to be recognized, too.
“Great kid. Good story,” Cora said. “He’s doing an amazing job with the Dodgers. And he’s another guy that when they show that video tomorrow, he should get a loud standing ovation.
“He’s one of those stories that you don’t see often. This guy went to Japan and then he was out of baseball. He comes with us to spring training in [2018] and he doesn’t have a job. He actually is pitching to get a job in the minor leagues. And all of a sudden, he’s pitching for us in spring training games. We joke, but he became our closer in ‘18.”
Tough matchups all around
It won’t be all about a family reunion when the Dodgers come to town.
The Red Sox will have a tough task ahead of them in the Dodgers, who once again sit at the top of the National League West with a 78-48 record. Los Angeles has a pair of NL MVP candidates in Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman.
The Red Sox will have Kutter Crawford on the mound Friday against Lance Lynn. James Paxton vs. Julio Urias will be the Saturday matchup, and Sunday will feature Tanner Houck vs. a Dodgers starter to be determined.
Los Angeles entered Thursday third in the majors in slugging (.453), OPS (.789), and runs scored (690). This will mark the first time the Dodgers have visited Fenway since 2019. Jansen deals with tight hamstring
Sox closer Kenley Jansen was removed from Wednesday’s game against the Astros due to right hamstring tightness. Jansen tweaked his hamstring during a workout recently and thought he could pitch through it.
“It’s weird,” Jansen said Thursday. “I feel great right now but I just want to give it a few days and see how it feels. The [trainers] don’t think that it’s a big deal. Hopefully I can be out for just a few days and try again.”
Jansen didn’t feel as though he needs time on the injured list, but that, of course, could change. Related: Kenley Jansen hopes to avoid injured list after tight hamstring forced Red Sox closer from game
“I’m trying to avoid that, especially at this crucial part of the year, I want to be out there,” he said. “But at the same time, I don’t want to hurt my team, either. That’s why I think it was a smart decision when they grabbed me yesterday.
“If I tried [to stay] in I was just going to hurt myself. So, we’ll see how I feel in a couple of days and the team will tell me when it’s best to get back out there.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 9:07:17 GMT -5
Fenway's rapturous ovation for Mookie Betts won't just be about love Red Sox fans have the opportunity to send a message Friday night at Fenway Park. By John Tomase, Red Sox Insider • Published 1 hour ago • Updated 1 hour ago NBC Universal, Inc.
John Tomase and Trenni Casey look back on the Red Sox’ decision to trade Mookie Betts to the Dodgers
Note to whoever is manning the Weston Observatory on Friday night: When your seismograph starts twerking sometime around 7:12 p.m., don't worry, it's not the big one.
It's just Red Sox fans releasing nearly four years of repressed energy with an epicenter of Fenway Park. If an earthquake can sound equal parts rapturous and enraged, this will be the night, because Mookie Betts is finally coming home.
To say the reaction Betts receives when he leads off for the Dodgers will be complicated doesn't even begin to explain it. There's no doubt the ovation will be loud and loving and long. Betts earned all of the above during his six years in Boston, which included an MVP, World Series, and megawatt (if reserved) smile.
There is absolutely nothing to dislike about him. He bowled 300 games! He shared playoff food with the homeless! He wore a plastic baseball necklace some kid made for him! And he played his ass off.
He should've been a Red Sox for a life, but finances intervened. Somewhere in the afterglow of the 2018 championship, owner John Henry decided he wanted to build a winning team without necessarily buying it. He punted Dave Dombrowski onto Lansdowne Street and hired Chaim Bloom, and here's where the story gets thorny.
Bloom's first order of business was trading Betts, a move most fans didn't hold against the young executive, even if they hated it. When ownership hires you to do a thing, you do the thing. What it heralded, however, is one of the most unsatisfying eras of Red Sox baseball, a four-year stretch of mediocrity surrounding one outlier run to the American League Championship Series, with no guaranteed end in sight, unless a bunch of teenagers in Greenville, Portland, and the Dominican Republic can eventually coalesce.
When Red Sox fans make their feelings for Betts clear on Friday night, it won't just be adoration. They'll be directing a portion of their passion towards ownership and the front office, too.
The standing ovation Betts receives will rival anything in the history of former Red Sox, whether it's Fred Lynn returning with the Angels, Carlton Fisk coming back with the White Sox, or Pedro Martinez taking the hill for the Mets. At least those guys departed with varying degrees of acrimony. The Red Sox never gave Betts a chance to spurn them, because they traded him before he could leave.
They are now reaping the whirlwind. They've exceeded expectations this season, but that's not a high bar. They're probably going to finish fourth in the AL East and on the outside of the playoff race for the fourth time in five years. Such a streak would've once convinced ownership to go get a player like Betts in free agency, but those days are gone. Now they're all about value and not imperiling the future, and it just leaves the present in perpetual limbo.
We may eventually learn it's a misguided approach, but that could take another three wasted years. And to think when the Red Sox traded Betts on the eve of spring training in 2020, I was on board. I didn't believe their contention window aligned with his, and I feared he'd break down, given his slight stature. I guess I was right on the first count, but I couldn't have been more wrong on the second.
Betts arrives in Boston leading the National League in slugging percentage and OPS, with a legitimate chance to top 40 homers for the first time in his career. If it wasn't for Ronald Acuña Jr.'s pursuit of baseball's first 30-70 season, Betts would be the runaway MVP favorite. He's doing it while playing a damn good second base, an improbable move for a Gold Glove outfielder, but he's merely stepping up selflessly after starting shortstop Gavin Lux tore an elbow ligament in spring training.
Much has been made of how happy and engaged Betts appears in Los Angeles, where his face adorns billboards, his fans include LeBron James, and his celebrity helps Jackie Robinson documentaries get made. We saw glimpses of Mookie's personality in Boston – the "WHOO!" reaction after his 13-pitch grand slam vs. the Blue Jays in 2018 remains an all-timer – but there has been no need to read between the lines in L.A. He's comfortable, he's front-facing, and he's a superstar.
He could've been all of those things in Boston, but we'll never know. Some believe he wanted to leave. Others say the Red Sox didn't really extend themselves to retain him. Parsing who's to blame is an exercise in pointlessness, however, because he's not coming back.
Except he is, if only for the weekend. Put your ear to the ground around first pitch on Friday night, and you may even be able to feel his return. The instruments of the U.S. Geological Survey surely will.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 10:32:27 GMT -5
Game 129: Dodgers at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated August 25, 2023, 16 minutes ago The Red Sox pounded the Astros, 17-1, in Thursday’s finale to salvage a split of their four-game series in Houston. Rookie Wilyer Abreu went 4 for 5 with a walk and four RBIs. Alex Verdugo (4 for 7, 2 RBIs) and Connor Wong (4 for 6, homer, two RBIs) matched Abreu’s four-hit performance. The Sox return home after going 6-4 on their road trip to host the Dodgers for a three-game series. It will mark the return of Mookie Betts to Fenway Park. The 2018 American League MVP is hitting .310 with 34 homers and 89 RBIs, top five in all three categories. He went 7 for 8 with three RBIs from the leadoff spot Thursday in two victories over the Guardians. While the Red Sox pulled to within 3½ games of the final wild card with Thursday’s win, the Dodgers are 30 games above .500 and in first place in the National League West, 12 games ahead of the second-place Diamondbacks. Friday night’s game will be streamed on Apple TV+. R The series marks the continuation of a pivotal stretch for the Sox. After this weekend’s series, the Sox will again face the Astros, this time in a three-game series at Fenway beginning Monday. Lineups DODGERS (78-48): Mookie Betts (R) 2B Freddie Freeman (L) 1B Will Smith (R) C Max Muncy (L) 3B David Peralta (L) LF Enrique Hernandez (R) CF Jason Heyward (L) RF Michael Busch (L) DH Miguel Rojas (R) SS Pitching: RHP Lance Lynn (6-9, 6.47 ERA) RED SOX (68-60): Alex Verdugo (L) RF Rafael Devers (L) 3B Justin Turner (R) DH Masataka Yoshida (L) LF Adam Duvall (R) CF Triston Casas (L) 1B Trevor Story (R) SS Reese McGuire (L) C Pablo Reyes (R) 2B Pitching: RHP Kutter Crawford (6-6, 3.66 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: Apple TV+, WEEI-FM 93.7 Dodgers vs. Crawford: Amed Rosario 3-8 Red Sox vs. Lynn: Triston Casas 2-3, Rafael Devers 4-15, Adam Duvall 3-13, Reese McGuire 2-8, Trevor Story 1-7, Justin Turner 3-9, Alex Verdugo 0-2, Connor Wong 0-2, Masataka Yoshida 0-3 Stat of the day: The 24 hits the Red Sox mashed on Thursday were a season high, with eight players recording at least two. Notes: Crawford pitched 5⅓ no-hit innings before allowing a home run to the Yankees’ Aaron Judge in his latest start, on Saturday at New York. That was the only hit he allowed while walking two and striking out five in six innings en route to an 8-1 win. … Lynn is 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in four starts (25 innings) since joining the Dodgers from the Chicago White Sox in a July 28 trade. The righthander has allowed a total of one earned run over his past three outings. Song of the Day; Rolling Stones "Waiting on a Friend" www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKLVmBOOqVU
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 13:57:52 GMT -5
Pete Abraham 19m ago
Tarp down at Fenway, if there are any updates on the game we'll pass them along.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 25, 2023 15:36:11 GMT -5
Pete Abraham 20m ago
Betts reiterated several times that he wanted to stay in Boston. Nothing but good things to say about the Sox. Said he would recommend to any player to come here.
Cora said when he was suspended, Mookie was one of the few who reached out and stayed on his side. Said he feels like a big brother to him. Values their relationship but understands baseball is a business.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 26, 2023 5:39:48 GMT -5
Kind of ironic that there is a possibility that the game came down to yet even more shitty base running which has plagued the Red Sox for a while now.
and what a throw by Mookie.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 26, 2023 5:40:31 GMT -5
Caught in the middle: 8th-inning miscue ends Red Sox's comeback hopes Verdugo homers against former club; Pivetta has rare poor outing 1:36 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- Rafael Devers was about to come to bat with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Friday night at Fenway Park that had a postseason-type of atmosphere.
With the Sox down just two runs at the time, the opportunities seemed endless for Devers. Game-tying single? Go-ahead double? Grand slam that would send Fenway into a state of euphoria?
Well, something unfortunate happened that eliminated all of those possibilities in Boston’s eventual 7-4 loss to the Dodgers.
On a line-drive single to right from Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong got a great jump from first and made a hard turn around second. Wong realized too late that the slow-footed Triston Casas wasn’t going to be waved around third. Not with the cannon arm of Mookie Betts ready to come up firing in right.
He was caught in between the bases. Just like that, Wong was tagged out. The inning was over and Devers never got his big chance.
“I was a little late picking up [third-base coach Carlos] Febles and that just can't happen in that situation,” Wong said. “That play probably cost us a really good chance of winning the game. Mistakes like that at this point in the season shouldn't be happening.”
“He felt like he had a good jump, but in that situation, you have to remember who’s in front of you. Obviously it’s not a great play, and it’s one that you talk about, especially in the situation we’re in,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “His run, yeah, it means something, but let’s make sure we know who’s in front of us. He put his head down and kept going. When he looked up, it was too late.”
Fortunately for the Red Sox, the defeat didn’t cost them ground in the standings. Boston remained 3 1/2 games behind Houston for the third American League Wild Card spot. The Blue Jays, who also lost, are still two games in front of the Sox.
While all the buzz heading into Friday’s game was about the return of Betts to Fenway Park for the first time since 2019, there were plenty of other developments once the contest started in front of a lively crowd of 35,653, many of them dressed in Dodger blue.
Verdugo’s opening salvo Betts received a thunderous ovation from the Fenway faithful when he led off the ballgame. He popped up and the Dodgers didn’t score in the first.
But Verdugo, the top player the Red Sox received in the trade for Betts, led off the bottom of the first by belting the first pitch from Lance Lynn into the Dodgers’ bullpen in right field. It was the second straight day Verdugo launched a leadoff homer. But this one meant more, given who it came against.
“Ask anybody who gets traded; they always want to do good against their former team,” Verdugo said. “And I don't think anybody's gonna sit here and lie about it. I want to do good against that team.”
Of late, Verdugo has been doing well against everyone. After an ice-cold July, Verdugo has regained his groove in August, slashing .333/.365/.564 with four homers and 11 RBIs.
“He’s in a good place,” said Cora. “Even the ball he hit the other way, although he was a little bit out in front, there's intention. He’s not loopy. He’s straight to the baseball. He's comfortable now.”
Rare mishap by Pivetta the difference After five innings, the Red Sox were feeling good about their chances, holding a 5-0 lead. To that point, starting pitcher Kutter Crawford had been dominant, allowing two hits. But Betts made his former team pay by belting a double off the scoreboard in left that sparked a game-tying, three-run rally. Freddie Freeman followed with a single. And that was all for Crawford.
Cora went to Pivetta, who came in with a 2.49 ERA in 20 relief appearances. But appearance No. 21 just happened to be his worst of the season. Pivetta gave up four hits and four runs over two innings, including a pair of untimely walks in a three-run seventh.
“I mean, there’s no excuses,” said Pivetta. “I’ve got to be top line every time I go out, especially against a team like that.”
With Kenley Jansen day to day with a right hamstring injury, Cora tried to get a bit more out of Crawford and Pivetta than he would have under different circumstances.
“Location-wise, he was off,” said Cora. “We were asking a lot out of him. Where we were in the bullpen today, we needed him to go multiple innings.”
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