Red Sox Strut: Third baseman Rafael Devers, LHP Chris Sale
By Sean Penney
A weekly article series where we examine two players who deserve to strut their stuff for the Boston Red Sox. This week – Rafael Devers, Chris Sale.
If you want to fully understand what the Red Sox Strut is, it means to have reason to walk with a confident, proud air around you. Some people mistake it for vanity, arrogance, or being pompous. This incorrect assumption is not what we mean. The Strut is about knowing that your deeds showed off your amazing skills to the baseball-loving public.
The Boston Red Sox took two out of three against a pair of division foes last week to retain their spot at the top of the AL East.
The expanded rosters were put to good use in the first week of September, as the Red Sox needed 19 innings to top the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. The entire bullpen should be able to strut after combining for 13 shutout innings in the game.
That marathon kicked off a four-game winning streak, bookended by the only two losses of the week. Both were hung on Rick Porcello, who now has a league-leading 17 losses. He’s the first American League pitcher since 1990 to lose at least 17 games for a team with a winning record.
It’s safe to say we won’t see Porcello strutting around the clubhouse this week, but there are still plenty of other candidates.