Countdown to the Playoffs - 2017 Edition

[Maxbialystock]

Magic Numbers:

 

Division - 20

Wild Card - 17

 

Very helpful, thanks. 20 with with just 22 games to play looks like a whole bunch, but we get to count every Yankee loss too.

 

If we just break even (against a pretty favorable schedule), go 11-11, and finish with 90 wins, the Yankees would have to go 16-8 to tie. \

 

In their last 10 games the Sox are 6-4 and the red hot, unbeatable juggernaut Yankees are 5-5.

 

Heck, rumor has it the Sox lost their notorious sign-stealing edge more than 10 games ago. We are working without a net. We are winning 60% of the time--very short sample, granted--with suspect starters and even more suspect hitting.

 

I say all that because Kimmi and moonslav alone have insisted things aren't nearly as dire as nattering nabobs of negativism like me say they are. So thank you again for throwing out those numbers.

[Maxbialystock]

Hopefully 'managing' will not be the deciding factor. It's player's game. At some point, guys on the field have to perform.

 

I was enraged when Farrell left Porcello in too long in the 10-4 loss to the Jays. And ranted about it endlessly in that game thread. I still think we could have pulled that game out if he had acted sooner, but 10-4 tends to undercut that.

 

I honestly think managers have little influence over the hitting and that one lineup is about as good as another. He does make key decisions on when to remove starters, which reliever to use, etc. But even there so much is up to the pitcher on the mound. Everyone of our starters has been hit hard several times. So has every reliever, including Kimbrel, as great as he has been this season. I would love to say Farrell was masterful Tuesday night in how he used 11 relievers to go 13 scoreless innings and make it possible for Betts to score the winning run in the 19th inning. But the simple fact is those 11 guys all manned up when they were most needed.

 

I have said repeatedly Farrell needs to win to stay in Boston, and almost agree that includes winning the ALDS, as daunting as that now is with the Guardians being so red hot--that is, if you think winning 14 straight in August- September is a significant data point.

 

I am less convinced there is compelling evidence his decisions have cost us games. That's why I point out that the top four American League teams (Astros, Guardians, Sox, and Yankees) have these scoring differentials in all games played to date: the Guardians are +190 for the season, the Astros +170, the Yankees +139, and the Red Sox +81. That's right. The Yankees, 4 games behind us, have actually scored almost 60 more runs (over roughly 140 games) than the Sox. The Guardians have scored 109 more runs (over roughly 140 games). So it seems to me remotely possible that Farrell has done more with less. We are now 5 games behind the Guardians and we darn well should be given those numbers. Maybe we should be 10 games behind.

Edited September 7, 2017 by Maxbialystock

[Slasher9]

i have the Sox going 12-10 in these last 22 games finishing the season at 91-71.

yankees would need to go 17-7 to catch us.

i have them going 15-9.

[mvp 78]

i have the Sox going 12-10 in these last 22 games finishing the season at 91-71.

yankees would need to go 17-7 to catch us.

i have them going 15-9.

 

They're going 30-0 from here on out.

[SoxnCycles]

i have the Sox going 12-10 in these last 22 games finishing the season at 91-71.

yankees would need to go 17-7 to catch us.

i have them going 15-9.

 

Sounds about right.

[mvp 78]

This is why Farrell can't win. Pretty much no matter what he does, he's going to be criticized.

 

No matter what anyone does, someone will find a reason to criticize you. That's just human nature. It's not specific to Sox fans or John Farrell.

[Bellhorn04]

No matter what anyone does, someone will find a reason to criticize you. That's just human nature. It's not specific to Sox fans or John Farrell.

 

Some jobs draw a lot more scrutiny, criticism and abuse than others though. I think being manager of the Red Sox is just below being President of the US when it comes to that.

[oldtimer]

I would suspect the effects of Hurricane Irma will be felt and games for some of the teams in the runnning, including the Red Sox will get postponed such that some double headers will be scheduled later in September. Hopefully we will get some rest with days off here and there. Some of our guys really need it.

[oldtimer]

I am thinking about the hurricane these days because I have a brother in his 80's in Florida and I have a condo there as well so am hoping for the best as the storm progresses. Lucky me, being in the mountains of North Carolina until mid October. The only problem is the hurricane track now takes a dead aim at us here as well. I have lots of big trees around my house and they still have the leaves on so if the winds reach 39 to 73 mph as expected, some or a lot of the trees could be landing on us. Right now I am worried about the safety of my brother and his wife and all the other Floridians in the direct line of this monster Cat 5 hurricane. Kind of lowers the importance of whether the Sox get a power hitter or not next year at this time.

[Slasher9]

Be safe OT. when the wind starts up get in your basement. the trees can go through the roof and end up on your kitchen table. i just made a nice fireplace mantel out of wood from the 160 year old oak tree that destroyed my house during Sandy. luckily we went into the basement 30 minutes before it toppled.

hopefully it skips to the right of florida mainland and your bro is going to be OK.

[Emp9]

 

I am less convinced there is compelling evidence his decisions have cost us games. That's why I point out that the top four American League teams (Astros, Guardians, Sox, and Yankees) have these scoring differentials in all games played to date: the Guardians are +190 for the season, the Astros +170, the Yankees +139, and the Red Sox +81. That's right. The Yankees, 4 games behind us, have actually scored almost 60 more runs (over roughly 140 games) than the Sox. The Guardians have scored 109 more runs (over roughly 140 games). So it seems to me remotely possible that Farrell has done more with less. We are now 5 games behind the Guardians and we darn well should be given those numbers. Maybe we should be 10 games behind.

 

Or it's the exact opposite. Possible Farrell has actually done less with more.

[moonslav59]

Or it's the exact opposite. Possible Farrell has actually done less with more.

 

I see it that way too. Take away the fundamental mistakes alone to a point where we're about average, and we'd have a much better run differential and a few more wins.

 

I'm not even addressing the in-game decision making.

 

[Slasher9]

what a shocker. O's bending over to MFY once again....

[Maxbialystock]

well said.

[Maxbialystock]

Or it's the exact opposite. Possible Farrell has actually done less with more.

 

Fine. Show me. I've provided data that point the other way. For you to be right, I really would like just one example of where terrible baserunning or boneheaded plays cost us even one game, let along several. To me runs scored for and against a team are all about hitting and pitching and occasionally defense, but rarely boneheadedness.

 

I have said the same to moonslav, who has yet to identify just that one game, let alone several.

 

Let's not forget too that every MLB team makes boneheaded mistakes every season. Granted,some more than others. But you guys are saying that the Sox fundamentals--mainly baserunning and "running into outs"--are so poor that the Sox are losing 5 to 10 more games than the average (with respect to boneheadedness) MLB team does. I just think that's unsupportable and must point out that so far it actually is unsupportable because no one has identified the first game lost by those kinds of mistakes.

 

Think about last year. The Sox led MLB in runs scored and in the AL led by over 100 runs. That's huge. Are we now saying that most of those guys,who are on this year's team, were just really smart and that's how they scored all those runs? Of course not. They had Oritz, and almost everyone hit better last year than they are this year. So how suddenly have they become so dumb and so careless with the same manager and the same coaches and that that's why they aren't scoring more runs? This just makes no sense to me. And let's not forget the other key number in tabulating total net runs (us vs. our opponents) scored for a season--the pitching. The pitching has overall been very good this year and better than in years past. That's fully half of the nets runs scored equation and is completely divorced from any tendencies toward boneheadedness--with the possible exception of pitchers not hustling to cover 1b on grounders to the right.

 

I do remember one game thread when Beni's presumed boneheadedness was a really hot topic. It happened in the top of the 3d in the first game of the recent Yankees series when Sabathia was on the mound and we lost 6-2. In the top of the 3d Nunez led off with a single. Beni singled and was out trying to stretch it into a double on a play so close the umpire actually called him safe before a challenge reversed the call. The game thread erupted in condemnations of Beni's sheer stupidity in doing that with no one out. Not the smart play,not at all. Dumb rookie.

 

There's more. That one play then became exhibit 1 in demonstrating that right here in this 3d inning by himself Beni had ruined what was sure to be a great rally to wrest the game from the tentacles of Sabathia and restore order in the universe. We were the better team because we had the better record, etc. Sabathia was over the hill, a fat slob who couldn't even field a bunt (in the 1st inning by Nunez) adequately. This was our inning to make the kill, and Beni took it away from us. Almost ignored was that we actually ended up getting one run to tie the game at 1-1. Completely ignored (my version of what was said) was that we actually never got another hit in the inning. Mookie walked and later stole 3b. Bogie grounded out, scoring Nunez from 3b. Devers walked. HanRam grounded out for the the third out. The next batter would have been Young, who was hitless for the night.

 

Indeed, we had a grand total of 4 singles for the entire game. No dingers--of course not. 0-8 with RISP, naturally. It's our thing. Sabathia walked too many guys, but otherwise was very effective, going 6 and giving up 1, definitely a quality start.

 

The piece de resistance of that particular game came in the 9th inning when the vaunted Sox offense--held back only by stupid baserunning--finally started a great rally. In other words, Betances walked the first two guys and HBP the third to load the bases with nobody out. So then Nunez K's swinging, Beni walks and gets an rbi, Mookie pops up meekly, and Moreland flies to LF for the final out.

 

Ok, that's my game, my evidence that stupid baserunning has not been our problem. Heck I even thought at the time (3d inning) that wanting to stretch that single wasn't all that stupid given how terrible our hitting was in the game. With men on 2d and 3d with no one out, two grounders or nice fly balls could have brought them both home. No further hits needed, thank you. Nevertheless, let's call it stupid because that was the clear consensus on the game thread.

 

Now, what's your game to show I'm wrong? You've got 139 to choose from. Piece of cake. moonslav can play too.

Edited September 7, 2017 by Maxbialystock

[a700hitter]

Fine. Show me. I've provided data that point the other way. For you to be right, I really would like just one example of where terrible baserunning or boneheaded plays cost us even one game, let along several. To me runs scored for and against a team are all about hitting and pitching and occasionally defense, but rarely boneheadedness.

 

I have said the same to moonslav, who has yet to identify just that one game, let alone several.

 

Let's not forget too that every MLB team makes boneheaded mistakes every season. Granted,some more than others. But you guys are saying that the Sox fundamentals--mainly baserunning and "running into outs"--are so poor that the Sox are losing 5 to 10 more games than the average (with respect to boneheadedness) MLB team does. I just think that's unsupportable and must point out that so far it actually is unsupportable because no one has identified the first game lost by those kinds of mistakes.

 

Think about last year. The Sox led MLB in runs scored and in the AL led by over 100 runs. That's huge. Are we now saying that most of those guys,who are on this year's team, were just really smart and that's how they scored all those runs? Of course not. They had Oritz, and almost everyone hit better last year than they are this year. So how suddenly have they become so dumb and so careless with the same manager and the same coaches and that that's why they aren't scoring more runs? This just makes no sense to me. And let's not forget the other key number in tabulating total net runs (us vs. our opponents) scored for a season--the pitching. The pitching has overall been very good this year and better than in years past. That's fully half of the nets runs scored equation and is completely divorced from any tendencies toward boneheadedness--with the possible exception of pitchers not hustling to cover 1b on grounders to the right.

 

I do remember one game thread when Beni's presumed boneheadedness was a really hot topic. It happened in the top of the 3d in the first game of the recent Yankees series when Sabathia was on the mound and we lost 6-2. In the top of the 3d Nunez led off with a single. Beni singled and was out trying to stretch it into a double on a play so close the umpire actually called him safe before a challenge reversed the call. The game thread erupted in condemnations of Beni's sheer stupidity in doing that with no one out. Not the smart play,not at all. Dumb rookie.

 

There's more. That one play then became exhibit 1 in demonstrating that right here in this 3d inning by himself Beni had ruined what was sure to be a great rally to wrest the game from the tentacles of Sabathia and restore order in the universe. We were the better team because we had the better record, etc. Sabathia was over the hill, a fat slob who couldn't even field a bunt (in the 1st inning by Nunez) adequately. This was our inning to make the kill, and Beni took it away from us. Almost ignored was that we actually ended up getting one run to tie the game at 1-1. Completely ignored (my version of what was said) was that we actually never got another hit in the inning. Mookie walked and later stole 3b. Bogie grounded out, scoring Nunez from 3b. Devers walked. HanRam grounded out for the the third out. The next batter would have been Young, who was hitless for the night.

 

Indeed, we had a grand total of 4 singles for the entire game. No dingers--of course not. 0-8 with RISP, naturally. It's our thing. Sabathia walked too many guys, but otherwise was very effective, going 6 and giving up 1, definitely a quality start.

 

The piece de resistance of that particular game came in the 9th inning when the vaunted Sox offense--held back only by stupid baserunning--finally started a great rally. In other words, Betances walked the first two guys and HBP the third to load the bases with nobody out. So then Nunez K's swinging, Beni walks and gets an rbi, Mookie pops up meekly, and Moreland flies to LF for the final out.

 

Ok, that's my game, my evidence that stupid baserunning has not been our problem. Heck I even thought at the time (3d inning) that wanting to stretch that single wasn't all that stupid given how terrible our hitting was in the game. With men on 2d and 3d with no one out, two grounders or nice fly balls could have brought them both home. No further hits needed, thank you. Nevertheless, let's call it stupid because that was the clear consensus on the game thread.

 

Now, what's your game to show I'm wrong? You've got 139 to choose from. Piece of cake. moonslav can play too.

What is your point with all this blather? ^. That idiocy on the bases doesn't matter? Then why is good situational base running coached from little league on up? Honestly, your whole post is nonsense. Prove to me once that you are not a jackass. You have 365 days a year. Pick one. Piece of cake. Edited September 7, 2017 by a700hitter

[MADSTORK]

Cleveland Win streak. 14 games won 98 runs scored. Here is the kicker. 4 shut-outs, 6 other games 2 runs or less, Team ERA 1.6

 

Moral of my story, Yes it is baseball, I just don't see Boston home field advantage or not, defeating Cleveland at any point in the Play-offs. I believe we should root for Cleveland to catch Houston for the #1 seed. At least in a 7 game series there is more room for error...

 

If I was Management I would preserve Sale at all cost. Rest him this weekend vs Tampa, perhaps another skip in the rotation in a few weeks and get him right..

 

For the love of Jesus, lets pray Fister stays hot!

[S5Dewey]

Fine. Show me. I've provided data that point the other way. For you to be right, I really would like just one example of where terrible baserunning or boneheaded plays cost us even one game, let along several. To me runs scored for and against a team are all about hitting and pitching and occasionally defense, but rarely boneheadedness.

 

I have said the same to moonslav, who has yet to identify just that one game, let alone several.

 

Let's not forget too that every MLB team makes boneheaded mistakes every season. Granted,some more than others. But you guys are saying that the Sox fundamentals--mainly baserunning and "running into outs"--are so poor that the Sox are losing 5 to 10 more games than the average (with respect to boneheadedness) MLB team does. I just think that's unsupportable and must point out that so far it actually is unsupportable because no one has identified the first game lost by those kinds of mistakes.

 

Think about last year. The Sox led MLB in runs scored and in the AL led by over 100 runs. That's huge. Are we now saying that most of those guys,who are on this year's team, were just really smart and that's how they scored all those runs? Of course not. They had Oritz, and almost everyone hit better last year than they are this year. So how suddenly have they become so dumb and so careless with the same manager and the same coaches and that that's why they aren't scoring more runs? This just makes no sense to me. And let's not forget the other key number in tabulating total net runs (us vs. our opponents) scored for a season--the pitching. The pitching has overall been very good this year and better than in years past. That's fully half of the nets runs scored equation and is completely divorced from any tendencies toward boneheadedness--with the possible exception of pitchers not hustling to cover 1b on grounders to the right.

 

I do remember one game thread when Beni's presumed boneheadedness was a really hot topic. It happened in the top of the 3d in the first game of the recent Yankees series when Sabathia was on the mound and we lost 6-2. In the top of the 3d Nunez led off with a single. Beni singled and was out trying to stretch it into a double on a play so close the umpire actually called him safe before a challenge reversed the call. The game thread erupted in condemnations of Beni's sheer stupidity in doing that with no one out. Not the smart play,not at all. Dumb rookie.

 

There's more. That one play then became exhibit 1 in demonstrating that right here in this 3d inning by himself Beni had ruined what was sure to be a great rally to wrest the game from the tentacles of Sabathia and restore order in the universe. We were the better team because we had the better record, etc. Sabathia was over the hill, a fat slob who couldn't even field a bunt (in the 1st inning by Nunez) adequately. This was our inning to make the kill, and Beni took it away from us. Almost ignored was that we actually ended up getting one run to tie the game at 1-1. Completely ignored (my version of what was said) was that we actually never got another hit in the inning. Mookie walked and later stole 3b. Bogie grounded out, scoring Nunez from 3b. Devers walked. HanRam grounded out for the the third out. The next batter would have been Young, who was hitless for the night.

 

Indeed, we had a grand total of 4 singles for the entire game. No dingers--of course not. 0-8 with RISP, naturally. It's our thing. Sabathia walked too many guys, but otherwise was very effective, going 6 and giving up 1, definitely a quality start.

 

The piece de resistance of that particular game came in the 9th inning when the vaunted Sox offense--held back only by stupid baserunning--finally started a great rally. In other words, Betances walked the first two guys and HBP the third to load the bases with nobody out. So then Nunez K's swinging, Beni walks and gets an rbi, Mookie pops up meekly, and Moreland flies to LF for the final out.

 

Ok, that's my game, my evidence that stupid baserunning has not been our problem. Heck I even thought at the time (3d inning) that wanting to stretch that single wasn't all that stupid given how terrible our hitting was in the game. With men on 2d and 3d with no one out, two grounders or nice fly balls could have brought them both home. No further hits needed, thank you. Nevertheless, let's call it stupid because that was the clear consensus on the game thread.

 

Now, what's your game to show I'm wrong? You've got 139 to choose from. Piece of cake. moonslav can play too.

 

I hear you. I do. But that doesn't mean I necessarily agree with you. :-)

 

You're asking proof that probably doesn't exist because it doesn't show up in the box score, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. AFAIK we have no way of knowing what would have happened had these blunders not taken place. What I DO know is that each of them cost the Sox 1/3 of an inning so it's probably safe to assume that somewhere along the line they cost a game ... or six. I just don't think the exact number of losses or the games in which they happened can be identified.

 

Re Beni and the play at 2b now: The fact that he was safe doesn't make it a smart play. Under the circumstances the team was going to either have runners on 1st & 3rd and no outs or a runner on 3rd with one out. That's what some of us would call "running out of an inning". Those options + the fact that the play was so close at 2B that it required a review made it... sorry... but a stupid chance. Sometimes a player does something stupid and it works out just like sometimes Farrell pulls what most of us think is a boneheaded play and the team wins anyway.

[Maxbialystock]

What is your point with all this blather? ^. That idiocy on the bases doesn't matter? Then why is good situational base running coached from little league on up? Honestly, your whole post is nonsense. Prove to me once that you are not a jackass. You have 365 days a year. Pick one. Piece of cake.

 

Blather beyond question--inevitable in a lengthy post. Jackass quite possible. My mistake clearly is trying to explain--over explain-- what surely is an untenable position.

 

I need to admit the obvious, that lousy baserunning is part of our problem, probably costing 5 or even 10 games which we would otherwise have won. Almost as bad is that it looks awful, not even at the level of little leaguers. That alone dwarfs that cheating scandal stuff because in that at least our guys were actually being pretty crafty. How could I be so blind? With just a little more coaching or better decisions by the base coaches and/or by experienced major leaguers like JBJ to say nothing of rookie Beni, we would be even with Cleveland right now. Those 109 more runs than us were just smart baseball.

Francona is simply that much better a manager. Just goes to show you can still learn something in your dotage.

Edited September 8, 2017 by Maxbialystock

[Kimmi]

Hopefully 'managing' will not be the deciding factor. It's player's game. At some point, guys on the field have to perform.

 

Managing will not be the deciding factor.

[Kimmi]

No matter what anyone does, someone will find a reason to criticize you. That's just human nature. It's not specific to Sox fans or John Farrell.

 

I don't disagree with that. My point is that maybe he's not as bad as some fans are making him out to be.

[Kimmi]

I am thinking about the hurricane these days because I have a brother in his 80's in Florida and I have a condo there as well so am hoping for the best as the storm progresses. Lucky me, being in the mountains of North Carolina until mid October. The only problem is the hurricane track now takes a dead aim at us here as well. I have lots of big trees around my house and they still have the leaves on so if the winds reach 39 to 73 mph as expected, some or a lot of the trees could be landing on us. Right now I am worried about the safety of my brother and his wife and all the other Floridians in the direct line of this monster Cat 5 hurricane. Kind of lowers the importance of whether the Sox get a power hitter or not next year at this time.

 

Keep safe oldtimer. I hope for the best for you and your family.

[Kimmi]

Our baserunning blunders have not cost us any games. Even with all of the OOBs, our baserunning has been worth about 1 WIN.

[S5Dewey]

Our baserunning blunders have not cost us any games. Even with all of the OOBs, our baserunning has been worth about 1 WIN.

 

Each of those mistakes cost the team 1/3 of an inning. There is no way this ^^ can possibly be known without the knowledge of what would have happened in that 'extra' 1/3 of the inning had the baserunning blunder not happened.

[mvp 78]

Our baserunning blunders have not cost us any games. Even with all of the OOBs, our baserunning has been worth about 1 WIN.

 

And blunders are magnified in the playoffs.

[a700hitter]

Blather beyond question--inevitable in a lengthy post. Jackass quite possible. My mistake clearly is trying to explain--over explain-- what surely is an untenable position.

 

I need to admit the obvious, that lousy baserunning is part of our problem, probably costing 5 or even 10 games which we would otherwise have won. Almost as bad is that it looks awful, not even at the level of little leaguers. That alone dwarfs that cheating scandal stuff because in that at least our guys were actually being pretty crafty. How could I be so blind? With just a little more coaching or better decisions by the base coaches and/or by experienced major leaguers like JBJ to say nothing of rookie Beni, we would be even with Cleveland right now. Just goes to show you can still learn something in your dotage.

No one is quantifying 5 or 10 games, but even if it can't be causally linked to losses to your satisfaction, it may have played a big part in some losses. We have had few games where base running gaffes have cost us a couple of runs. In some of those games, we were blown out, but that doesn't mean that the base running gaffes didn't contribute to the loss. If we are down 1 or 2 runs in the 7th inning, the manager will not go to his top shut down relievers and the other team may open up a bigger lead, and that would never have happened if we were tied or ahead going into the 7th inning. I guess this type situation of doesn't factor into your calculations. Your position is untenable as you say, because fundamentally sound base running is coached, because that is good baseball, and good baseball gives you the best chance of winning. If it doesn't cost us at the end of the season, great for us, but they shouldn't be making these base running gaffes on such a regular basis.

[moonslav59]

Show me. I've provided data that point the other way. For you to be right, I really would like just one example of where terrible baserunning or boneheaded plays cost us even one game, let along several. To me runs scored for and against a team are all about hitting and pitching and occasionally defense, but rarely boneheadedness.

 

I have said the same to moonslav, who has yet to identify just that one game, let alone several.

 

I did respond..

 

I said no game is won or lost on one play, so the question is worthless.

 

That being said, here's one: the game where Holt held onto the ball as the winning run crossed the plate.

 

Sure, argue, maybe he doesn't get him anyways, but it was a close play, even after he hesitated,

 

There are countless close games we lost where a bonehead play led to a run scored or maybe have prevented us from scoring one or more.

 

Stop pretending no games have been lost by mental mistakes. We've made 343 this year. It's impossible for none to have mattered.

[a700hitter]

Each of those mistakes cost the team 1/3 of an inning. There is no way this ^^ can possibly be known without the knowledge of what would have happened in that 'extra' 1/3 of the inning had the baserunning blunder not happened.

Base running mistakes that take runs off the board change the dynamics of the game with regard to which pitchers each manager might be used etc. I agree with you that OOBs stat is not reliable. In fact, I would say that OObs is for boobs. And that is not a sexist term!

[moonslav59]

Our baserunning blunders have not cost us any games. Even with all of the OOBs, our baserunning has been worth about 1 WIN.

 

Kimmi, I'm surprised.

 

Just because our base running has netted us one win, we might have been +3 or 4 without running blunders alone.

 

-3 + 4 = +1

[Maxbialystock]

I hear you. I do. But that doesn't mean I necessarily agree with you. :-)

 

You're asking proof that probably doesn't exist because it doesn't show up in the box score, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. AFAIK we have no way of knowing what would have happened had these blunders not taken place. What I DO know is that each of them cost the Sox 1/3 of an inning so it's probably safe to assume that somewhere along the line they cost a game ... or six. I just don't think the exact number of losses or the games in which they happened can be identified.

 

Re Beni and the play at 2b now: The fact that he was safe doesn't make it a smart play. Under the circumstances the team was going to either have runners on 1st & 3rd and no outs or a runner on 3rd with one out. That's what some of us would call "running out of an inning". Those options + the fact that the play was so close at 2B that it required a review made it... sorry... but a stupid chance. Sometimes a player does something stupid and it works out just like sometimes Farrell pulls what most of us think is a boneheaded play and the team wins anyway.

 

Proof is there, but not just in the box score. Look at the inning by inning and play by play summary available in the mlb.com package. That's what I did for the first game against the Yankees last week (a week ago). Assume Beni stays put in that 3d inning. Men on 1st and 3d and no one out. After Beni's single, no more Sox hits in the 3d. Betts walked. Bogie ground out scoring Nunez from 3d. Devers walked. HanRam ground out for out #2. Next better was Young, who was hitless in the game. I think it a very reasonable assumption the Sox score no more than the run they did score even though Beni was out. Plus the Sox only had four lousy singles in the game, I mean who are we kidding blaming this on Beni's intemperance? And don't forget that great 9th inning rally when we had the based loaded and no outs and again had no hits. The one run came on third walk. We got killed because we couldn't hit Sabathia and they scored 5 runs off our starter.