NEW YORK — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy protected his player, saying third base coach Chad Epperson and everyone else yelled to Ceddanne Rafaela to tag from third base.
Rafaela got thrown out at the plate trying to tie the game on Willson Contreras’ 262-foot fly ball to left field in the seventh inning. The Red Sox lost 1-0 to the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
“We were all screaming,” Tracy said. “That’s a definite, especially at that point of the game. It’s been a bit since we’ve scored. It’s like, ‘How many opportunities are you going to get?’ So you’ve got to go there.”
Rafaela, who spoke about 10 minutes after Tracy, took the blame. He said that Epperson tried to hold him at third base.
“That’s on me,” Rafaela said. “Not on him. That’s on me.”
Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger ranks in the 96th percentile in arm strength (93.4 mph) and the 90th percentile in arm value.
Rafaela said he was being overly aggressive and he’s not surprised that Bellinger threw him out.
“Because we know he has a good arm,” Rafaela said. “He throws with accuracy. And that was just being aggressive, trying to tie the game right there and he made a perfect throw. I think that’s the only throw that can get me out right there.”
Bellinger made an on-target 99.7 mph throw to home plate to cut down Rafaela.
“I told him (Epperson) that’s 100% on me and I take it and he don’t have to take any blame on it,” Rafaela said. “He was telling me to not go.”
There is a case to be made for tagging up there.
The Red Sox hadn’t scored in 15 innings straight dating back to Tuesday and struggling Adley Rutschman was the next hitter due up. Rutschman is 6 for 45 (.133) since the Red Sox traded for him.
“We haven’t scored much lately so you’ve got to take your shot,” Tracy said before Rafaela accepted the blame. “You get the ball in the air, which is what you need. And (when) you have a really good base runner in Rafa and speed at third, you’re going to take your shot. With him running it’s gotta be a perfect throw and he made a perfect throw right on the money.”
It wasn’t Rafaela’s only mistake.
He also made an inexcusable base running mistake in the fifth inning, squandering Boston’s best scoring chance against Yankees ace Cam Schlittler.
With one out and two runners on base, Wilyer Abreu lined out to center fielder Trent Grisham, who threw to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. in an attempt to double off Anthony Seigler, the runner at second.
Seigler made it back safely. But Chisholm had enough time to throw to first base to double off Rafaela, the runner at first base. Rafaela had strayed well off the bag on a ball hit 299 feet.
“It’s a bad read on me. It was really bad,” Rafaela said.
“No excuses,” Rafaela added. “That can’t happen. Can’t happen.”
Rafaela is ready to put Friday behind him. He’s already looking ahead to Saturday’s doubleheader.
“I make some dumb decisions trying to be over-aggressive and those things happen,” he said. “Now just flush it and show up tomorrow.”
More Red Sox coverage- Red Sox reactions: Ceddanne Rafaela cut down at plate on 99.7 mph throw from left in 1-0 loss
- Who won? Who cares? Savannah Bananas at Gillette was full of surprises for fans
- Red Sox injuries: Plans for Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck
- Adley Rutschman (elbow) back in Red Sox lineup vs. Yankees on Friday
- Red Sox aren’t treating ‘gauntlet of series’ vs. Yankees with ‘the end of the world’ stakes
Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Leave a Comment