The morning after calling Red Sox starter John Lackey’s reaction to fielding gaffes by SS Marco Scutaro, “the type of stuff that would get you punched in some clubhouses,” ESPN’s Buster Olney elaborated a bit in his Sunday Insider column ;
The rest of the Red Sox position players deserve some kind of award for not reacting to Lackey’s body language, which is the worst I’ve ever seen in a starting pitcher. Marco Scutaro made mistakes twice in the first inning, and as the Tampa Bay rally moved along, Lackey’s gestures to bad moments got worse and worse; twice he threw his hands up in the air, in frustration. Can you imagine how a pitcher would respond if an outfielder threw his hands up in disgust while watching a home run ball soar over his head, after Lackey hung a breaking ball?
And, separately, Lackey barked at Terry Francona when the manager took him out of the game, arguing with the decision.
Really, it’s something that Lackey should strive to change, and if he doesn’t, the Red Sox position players should all make a pact to physically react to every mistake that Lackey makes on the mound.
The position players might hurt themselves with that much physical activity, though…
How about the infielders make a pact to not react at all. Just let the ball sail by them unless it’s hit right at the glove. That would be fun to watch.