The Boston Red Sox brought the fireworks to Fenway Park last night. One man that exploded at the plate Thursday was Brock Holt, just not in a good way.
If you tuned in to the first game of the Red Sox – Yankees series on Thursday night you were treated to a one-sided beating. The New York offense is vaunted as one of the best in the league and on many nights seems unstoppable. But it was the Boston bats that couldn’t be stopped and the Yankees were all but silent thanks to the strong pitching of Rick Porcello.
One man that exploded at the plate on Thursday was Brock Holt. No, he didn’t hit a moon bomb or knock-in a bunch of runs but he did set off some fireworks. During his at-bat in the third inning, Holt watched a very close pitch go by and be called for strike three. Brock instantly began arguing with home-plate umpire D.J. Reyburn and he would soon be sent to the showers.
Microphones were able to catch Holt’s argument and it’s easy to understand why Reyburn tossed him. We all know that the leash is very short when it comes to arguing balls and strikes and Brock saw that last night. Later in the evening he spoke to the media and took full ownership over his behavior in relation to the ejection.
"“They’re human,” Holt said about umpires. “And we have good nights and bad nights just like they do. Like I said, probably a pitch that was too close to take there and probably one that I probably shouldn’t have gotten as mad as I did about. You know, people make mistakes and I made one tonight. So I apologize for that. And just proud of how everything else went in the game.”"
That quote speaks a lot to the character of Holt as I’m not sure how many would lay themselves out and take full responsibility for the situation. Brock is often seen as the heart of the team as he’s often in the center of the positivity in the clubhouse. But just as he said, we’re all human and everyone is capable of having a bad day.
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One thing that I can admit upset me about the Holt ejection was the fact that Edwin Encarnacion was able to remain in the game. Earlier in the night, Encarnacion was at the plate and argued every pitch that was called against him. He would get called out looking on strikes much like Holt and then he turned and got in the face of Reyburn. He was allowed to argue and remain in the game but Brock wasn’t.
Granted, we don’t know what Edwin said to Reyburn but based on the body language in the interaction it couldn’t have been less animated than Brock. It’s something nitpicky on my end but I want fair treatment of both sides. I understand not every case of arguing balls and strikes deserves an ejection but if they escalate as both cases did then both should have the same fate.
The Red Sox didn’t need any more fuel on the fire as they already had a pretty hefty lead by the time Brock got tossed but I’m sure it didn’t hurt either. Boston never looked back and continued to pile on against their hated rivals all night long. It may only be a single game but it was a hell of a statement from both the offense and pitching sides of the game from the Sox.
Brock Holt is a major part of this Red Sox team and though he is a free agent at the end of the year he’s expressed great interest in remaining with Boston. With his versatility on the field and the spirit he brings to the clubhouse it would be a mistake to let him go this winter. One thing is for sure, I don’t think Brock will be arguing with umpires anytime soon after last night.