Objection to ejection
Farrell questions his ouster
Shortly after the Red Sox were eliminated from the playoffs in a 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Houston Astros yesterday, manager John Farrell still wasn’t sure why he had been ejected in the second inning.
Farrell, who suffered his 19th ejection in five years as Red Sox manager, was thrown out for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Mark Wegner, but Farrell said that’s not what he was doing.
“I went out to get (Dustin Pedroia) away from Mark Wegner,” Farrell said. “Obviously it was a key moment. Pedey obviously disagreed with the call that was made. I did not argue balls and strikes and yet that was a little surprising when I was ejected at that point. So for whatever reason, he felt like ... there was nothing derogatory or directed straight at him. I never argued balls and strikes. It was a really quick hook.”
So why did Wegner eject the Red Sox manager?
“The reason he gave me is, ‘I’m not going to have you stand here and yell at me,’ ” Farrell said. “I said I’m trying to get my player away from him. It was more important to me that Pedey remain in the game and the rest took care of itself.”
Pedroia argued an inside third strike call that was in a nearly identical spot as a called third strike to Jackie Bradley Jr. in the at-bat immediately before Pedroia’s, both with the bases loaded.
Pedroia let Wegner hear it, standing just inches away from the ump when Farrell ran out to get between them. Words were exchanged, then Farrell got tossed. Xander Bogaerts flew out to end the basesloaded no outs threat without any runs.
“Honestly, go look at it,” Pedroia said. “I just know my first at-bat, he gave (Astros starter Charlie Morton) a fastball off the plate away, a lot off, so I was under the assumption that you’re not going to give in off the plate. But it’s a part of the game. Obviously you’re trying to compete and the guy’s got good stuff, so it makes it difficult to compete when you’re trying to cover that much.”
Pedroia went 0-for-5 and 2-for-16 in the series.
Consoling words
After the game, Farrell spent time addressing his team in the locker room.
“I spoke to them,” he said. “I guess in short, it’s always tough when you end the season so abruptly. But I’m extremely proud for the way they compete, the work that they put in for seven full months, the way they care for one another. Just wanted to thank them from that. But it’s just you go 100 mph and then all of a sudden it feels like you face-plant in a wall when the season’s over. So that was pretty much the message.”
Closer Craig Kimbrel appreciated Farrell’s speech.
“He was there for us,” Kimbrel said. “He came out and we just got done losing a hard game and he came out and told us how proud he was of us and everything that we did this year. He watched us all year long, he knows each and every guy in here, he knows what we’re made of and for him to go out every night, put it together and try to help put the best team on the field.
“We won the East. Unfortunately we didn’t get where we want in the playoffs. But I think he did a great job.”
Chris Sale, who gave up the game-tying homer on his 69th pitch out of relief in the eighth inning, had no problem with how Farrell managed him the season.
“This is a game that you can second-guess anything,” Sale said. “Every game, every inning. We play 162 games, nine innings every time, sometimes extras, so there’s a lot of room for debate and would’ves should’ves. He gave me every opportunity to succeed. I can say the same for everybody on this team.”
Added outfielder Mookie Betts, “He’s done a great job and I know no manager has won back to back titles, so it shows he’s done a great job in managing personalities and put us in a position to win. He listens to us and he talks with us. He fits well.”
Error of their ways
In a game when every mistake looms large, the Sox can look back on plenty. Perhaps most notably was in the third inning when Hanley Ramirez roped a single to left field with Mitch Moreland, who has dealt with a broken toe and a sore knee this season, running from second base.
Left-fielder Marwin Gonzalez was playing shallow in front of The Wall and fielded it cleanly, but third base coach Brian Butterfield sent Moreland home anyway. Moreland was thrown out easily to end the threat with Rafael Devers on deck . . . .
Xander Bogaerts homered in the first and went 1-for-17 in the series. “I have a lot to improve on this offseason,” he said . . . .
Ramirez singled in his first two at-bats to reach in six straight appearances after going 4-for-4 on Sunday. He finished the series 8-for-14 . . . .
The Astros took a lead in the first inning in each game of this series . . . .
The Red Sox are now 6-6 all-time in the ALDS, having lost their last two. They’re now 17-7 in 24 elimination games since 1999. They’re 15-9 at home in elimination games.