Red Sox: Steven Wright watches All-Star Game from bullpen
Boston Red Sox starter Steven Wright has been one of the league’s best starters this season, but wasn’t treated as such during the All-Star Game.
It’s been a remarkable journey for knuckleball pitcher Steven Wright, who spent years trying to prove himself at the minor league level before finally breaking out as the surprise ace of the Boston Red Sox this season.
Wright entered the break leading the American League with a 2.68 ERA in 114 innings, piling up 94 strikeouts en route to earning a 10-5 record. His production should have made him worthy of being in the conversation to start the All-Star Game, yet instead he ended up watching the entire game from the bullpen.
AL manager Ned Yost had one of the best starters in the league at his disposal and didn’t bother to use him? 10 pitchers were called upon to take the mound for the AL in their 4-2 victory Tuesday night, but Wright wasn’t one of them. What was Yost thinking?
He was probably thinking about protecting his catchers, who lack experience working with a knuckleball pitcher. Yost certainly wasn’t about to embarrass his own guy, Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who started the game for the AL.
Next: The passed ball dilemma
Red Sox catchers Ryan Hanigan and Christian Vazquez are first and third respectively for the most passed balls in the majors, with a combined 26. It’s no coincidence that their names can be found high on this list, given that they have been behind the plate for many of Wright’s starts. Boston has allowed 32 passed balls as a team, nearly double the amount of the next closest team, the Toronto Blue Jays, who also happen to a have a knuckleball pitcher in R.A. Dickey on their staff.
With the AL team clinging to a two-run lead, you can understand why Yost was hesitant to risk turning the momentum in the NL’s favor with a passed ball that could lead to a run.
“The whole object is to win the game,” Yost told reporters after the game, according to the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato. “[Wright] provided so much depth for us in the back of the game. He was the only guy that could go multiple innings. And he could go two, three innings and maybe push for four if we needed to. So yeah, I wish I could’ve gotten Stephen Vogt in, I wish I could’ve got Alex Colome in and I wish I could’ve got Steven Wright in. But sometimes you have to do what you have to do to win the ballgame.”
As manager of the defending champion Royals, Yost knows a thing or two about the importance of winning the All-Star Game, which grants the winning league home field advantage in the World Series. The Royals closed out the series on the road in New York in Game 5, but taking the first two games at Kauffman Stadium helped set the tone for the rest of the series.
Next: Personal Catcher
During the pregame show on FOX the commentators in the booth were discussing Yost’s plan to only use Wright if the game went into extra-innings, in which case Vogt would be his catcher. If Yost was concerned about losing the game on a passed ball then a tie game in extra-innings seems like the worst position to use Wright in.
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It’s more likely he considered the knuckelballer a last resort, which is in line with his comments about Wright’s ability to pitch multiple innings, which only would be necessary if more than nine innings were necessary to determine a winner.
Here’s an idea that would solve the dilemma Yost found himself in. If a knuckleball pitcher gets selected to an All-Star Game he should be allowed to bring his own personal catcher along. They would be a package deal, an extra catcher that could only be used while the knuckleballer is on the mound.
Don’t want to reward Hanigan’s injury-plagued season? Vazquez is back in Triple-A? Fine, well Sandy Leon had a great month of June, send him instead. Is his success too small of a sample size? Let’s see if Doug Mirabelli is busy then.
Next: Team first mentality
To his credit, if Wright is miffed by not getting into the game, he’s certainly not showing it. He claims to be satisfied with the honor of being selected. If he didn’t get to pitch last night, that’s fine, because he has a start against the New York Yankees this weekend to focus on. The Red Sox are his priority, not a glorified exhibition game.
“It’s a personal accolade. And I’m not really huge on those,” explained Wright. “They’re great but first and foremost you have to help your team win. If that means going to the All-Star Game because your team is doing well, then I’m going to come here and represent the team the best I can. If you’re worried about that, you’re worried about the wrong things because your ultimate goal is to make a World Series not make an All-Star team.”
Take that, Ned Yost! You don’t want to use me in the All-Star Game? No problem, but I will be on the mound when my team beats yours in the postseason on our way to the World Series. Thanks for helping us lock up home field advantage.
Fine, that’s probably not what Wright meant, but he does make a valid point. Winning a World Series is a team effort, while making an All-Star team is an individual accomplishment. At least his priorities are in the right place.
Next: Game for the fans
Wright may be at peace with the decision to keep him in the bullpen, but Red Sox fans still aren’t satisfied. Forget that the team had four hitters in the starting lineup. Boston’s pitching staff, bemoaned all year as the weakness of this team, had a worthy starter make the All-Star team. Red Sox fans wanted to see Wright take the mound in the Midsummer Classic. He deserved it.
Perhaps the solution is to revert back to the premise the All-Star Game survived under for decades. Make it so the game doesn’t count. Take away the incentive of winning home field advantage, which was implemented as a ploy to cover up the mistake of allowing the 2002 All-Star Game to end in a tie, disguised as an effort to increase fan interest.
The All-Star Game is supposed to be for the fans, most of whom root for teams with little chance of making the World Series. Why would the majority of fans care who has home field advantage? They are more concerned with seeing their players on the field in the All-Star Game. Only two teams get to play in the World Series, but the All-Star Game is for everyone.
Next: Will Red Sox sign 1st-Round pick Jason Groome?
Not using Wright in the All-Star Game makes logical scene, but defeats the purpose of what the All-Star Game should really be about. Knuckleball pitchers are a rare breed If Yost didn’t have to be quite as concerned about winning, perhaps he’d be more willing to put Wright in the game despite the risks.
Wright may honestly not care about not pitching in the All-Star Game, but we care. He deserved to be out there and the fans deserved to get to watch him.