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Irked John Lackey impresses on mound, fumes off of it 09.26.11 at 1:49 am ET
By Alex Speier

NEW YORK — The exchange was bizarre.

Red Sox right-hander John Lackey had just concluded one of his most meaningful performances in his two years in Boston. Lackey had been, at times, dominant against the Yankees, logging six-plus innings in which he held New York to four runs (three earned). At one stretch from the second through sixth innings, he faced 14 batters and recorded 14 outs, and though he fell behind, 3-0, in the top of the first inning, he kept New York in check for long enough to allow the Sox to come back in an eventual 14-inning, 7-4 victory.

The normal postgame protocol would have Lackey engaged in a conversation about the quality of his stuff and execution, his ability to rebound from the stumble out of the gates, the satisfaction of a pivotal victory for the Sox.

But it immediately became clear that Lackey was edgy in fielding questions after the game. After a few clipped answers to game-related questions, the pitcher attempted to clear the air.

“Let me tell you the truth. Thirty minutes before the game, I got a text message on my cellphone from one of you … somebody in the media, talking about personal stuff,” said Lackey. “And I shouldn’t even be standing up here having to deal with it. I’m sitting here listening to music. I don’t know who got my phone number, but that’s over the line. Anything else you guys want to talk about?”

Lackey did allow that he “felt good,” and that “considering the circumstances and needing a win,” he viewed the performance as being among his best with the Sox. He was then asked whether the pregame text message served as a distraction.

“This is unbelievable I’ve got to do this,” he lamented, with the session coming to an abrupt halt soon thereafter.

Because he did not elaborate on his emotional state on the mound, it would be difficult to infer any connection between the incident and Lackey’s performance. Nonetheless, Lackey did perform with a conviction and effectiveness after the first inning that has rarely characterized the right-hander’s performance.

However, others around the Sox were happy to assess the right-hander’s outing, at a time when he delivered a desperately needed quality start.

“I thought his stuff was good. His fastball was crisp,” said catcher Jason Varitek. “We had a good mix today of using all his pitches, but I thought his fastball location was really good.”

Varitek said that he did not notice an unusual degree of emotion in his batterymate on Monday. He did, however, suggest that Lackey has continued to compete in spite of off-the-field issues that have swirled around him.

“He’s been pitching with the same emotion all year, trying to do well. I think very much this guy has taken the brunt of a lot of things outside of the health he goes out there with. It may not have always been the execution and how his results have come about,” said Varitek. “[But] he goes out there and competes everyday.”

Indeed, Lackey’s competitive appetite was most apparent in the bottom of the seventh, with the Sox up, 4-3. Though he’d been cruising for several innings, after a leadoff single, he was pulled from the game in favor of reliever Alfredo Aceves, who permitted the tying run to score.

After he was pulled, Lackey unleashed a string of profanities on his way from the mound to the dugout, expressing distress about his removal. It was the sort of fiery show that has seemed out of touch with reality at times (based on his performances) in Boston, particularly this year, when he has a 6.41 ERA that would rank as the highest in franchise history by a pitcher who logged at least 120 innings.

But it was that same trait that was once viewed — when he was an Angels ace — as a sign of his competitive fire, and an indication of his desire to lead a staff. On Sunday night, it once again seemed to be that sort of expression, an eruption from a player who wants to be on the mound with big games hanging in the balance.

That may not have been the talking point for Lackey following his outing, but it was a salient take away for the Sox at a time when their rotation has struggled.

The Sox have not identified who would start a one-game playoff on Thursday should the Sox find themselves in a season-ending tie for the wild card. However, with Josh Beckett slated to pitch on Monday and Jon Lester penciled in for potential duty on three days’ rest on Wednesday, the Sox might be left to scramble should they have a one-game playoff.

But the stuff and presence that Lackey, who potentially would be pitching on three days’ rest should the Sox have a play-in game on Thursday, showed on Sunday night suggested that he has a chance to be something he has only occasionally been during his Red Sox career — an answer.

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  • http://www.comcast.net Mushtroom

    I never realized that Alex Speier was such a Red Sox shill. Lackey gave up three runs in the first inning, making it that much more difficult playing from behind. Some vet in the Sox clubhouse should take Lackey aside and tell him that he’s a jerk and to stop the stupid theatrics on the mound. Of course the manager won’t do that, he’s a “player’s manager”. Where’s Papi when push comes to shove? Oh, that’s right, he’s arranging next weeks pitching rotation. Wonder if he ‘s still trying to find out why he was on the PED list (as he promised)?

  • Mama

    Just goes to show another Yankee troll starting crap with Boston pitchers before a big game. I bet the Yankees will lay down this week and give all the games to the Rays. THats ok Boston will overcome diversity and come back and take it all. Be prepared sox fans we will be avenged.

    John Lackey has every right to show emotion. He has a fire, and his personal life is no ones business.

  • Fran

    True, his personal life isn’t anyone’s business. But he shows up his teammates, his manager, apppears to be out of touch with reality as far as his own ability goes, and is everybit as disliked by the Boston fans as J.DmyfingerhurtsDrew or Daisuke whateverhappenedto Matsuzaka. Lackey is just one more of Epstein’s monumental free agent failures.

  • richard

    YES LACKEY LACKS.THE RED SOX HAVE TO STOP PAYING TOP DOLLAR FOR THESE PLAYERS WHO DON’T DELIVER’NEXT YEAR LET HIM PITCH 5 INNINGS OR IF HE WALKS TWO IN A ROW PULL HIM.

  • oliver

    How long has it been since the Red Sox played an error free game!!

  • anon

    Maybe Lackey has a rocky relationship with the media. The guy is a fiery guy, and if he is to be believed with the reported claim that someone from the media sent him a personal and upsetting text message, then he would naturally be riled up. But this is obscured by long-winded ruminations from the writer trying to simultaneously weave a story about Lackey’s actual pitching performance with some off-the-field business between him and members of the press. Many members of the press like to point out when a player is not treating them kindly, and the biases proceed to leak out of subsequent coverage and stories. In my opinion, this is bad journalism.

    If the writer’s claim is to be believed, “Because he did not elaborate on his emotional state on the mound, it would be difficult to infer any connection between the incident and Lackey’s performance.” I believe that you are trying to do exactly what you are suggesting is so difficult by trying to make the connection while you weave these two stories together. And while it actually makes sense to try and make the connection, you cannot hide your curious vitriol against someone hostile to members of the media and consistently undermine your own standards of journalistic integrity by using your writing as a medium to lash back out at the subject.

    I could not find the writer’s email address to inquire about this directly.

  • Mike

    His personal life should be off limits.

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... Cat

    Please, the yankees have bigger fish to fry. Not this jerk. Hes mad that someone found out he was divorcing his wife who is battling cancer. Just check tmz. It’s no secret. If he was smarter, he would waited until the season was over. It’s all his fault.

    And when did private lives have no place in baseball. I do remember all those red sox fans wearing the blonde masks when ARod was messing around with madonna. he and the fans need to settle down.

    And I do hope the yankees lose to the rays. would be wicked sweet.

  • Bo

    Papi ? Where was he last night? AWOL

  • Bo

    There are players it appears with special dispensation from the SoX Sheeple from ever playing like …sounds like map. You know who, I do not need to spell it out.

  • Bo

    Mama if only it was diversity the organization was overcomming we would be in a much favorable environment, however I think you may have been leaning towards adversity based on the context of your argument, Freud spoke of such subconscious happenings as being genuine and based on real feelings.

  • Ricardo

    Putting aside his very disappointing and subpar season performance, Carl Crawford, to me, swings at some of the worst pitches thrown in the game. It reminds me of the kid I coached in little league who made up his mind to swing the bat BEFORE the pitch was thrown. Carl, have you lost your “strike zone knowledge” too?

  • rog

    Take it easy with how they came from behind to win the nightcap because 1) this lineup was still without several starters and 2) you tattooed Proctor which is by no means a tremendous feat. Red Sox are still open to bad plays and no back up catcher.

  • hugh

    I never like the signing of John Lackey. I always thought he was a hot head and someone who would show-up his team mates if they made a mistake.

    Having said that, I don’t blame him for his tirade last night. He gave up three runs in the first inning but kept them in the game. That is more than Beckett, Lester, Wakefield or Weilland did this past week. Ultimately, they won.

    People today think that is fun to smear people’s personal business all over the internet. What happenned to the right of privacy and the respect of privacy? Last night, should have been about John Lackey helping stop the bleeding nothing else.

  • jd_drew’s_hammy

    lol at “overcoming diversity”. the sox organization and city of boston have a long, proud history of overcoming diversity.

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