John Farrell’s Ninth-Inning Decision Backfires In Red Sox’s Loss To Rangers

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There will be no pit stop in Vegas for these Boston Red Sox. Too many tough beats.

The Red Sox return home Monday following a brutal road trip through Minnesota and Texas in which Boston went 1-6. The excursion ended Sunday with a 4-3 walk-off loss to the Rangers that culminated with manager John Farrell unsuccessfully (and understandably) gambling in the ninth inning.

Koji Uehara entered in the ninth with the Red Sox leading 3-2, and Hanser Alberto hit a ground ball to the left side that third baseman Pablo Sandoval couldn’t corral. It was Sandoval’s second error of the contest, and it ultimately served as the beginning of Boston’s downfall.

“I should’ve got that ball. It was my fault,” Sandoval told reporters in Arlington. “I messed that up.”

Alberto, representing the tying run, advanced to second base on Delino DeShields’ sacrifice bunt and to third when Shin-Soo Choo grounded softly back to the mound. Farrell then had a huge decision to make with one of Major League Baseball’s hottest hitters stepping to the dish.

The skipper decided to walk Prince Fielder with first base open. It was reasonable, given that Fielder entered Sunday leading the American League with 73 hits and 38 RBIs. The five-time All-Star hit .381 with nine homers and a 1.100 OPS in May. But it also was a roll of the dice because it required the Red Sox to put the potential winning run on base with the likes of Josh Hamilton waiting in the wings.

Sure enough, the Rangers called up Hamilton — a notorious Red Sox killer who hit two homers Friday night — to pinch-hit for Adam Rosales. And sure enough, because it’s been that kind of season for Boston, Hamilton drilled a 1-1 splitter into the left-center field gap to score both Alberto and Fielder.

“I wanted to have my teammates’ back. I wasn’t able to,” Uehara said through a translator. “It’s my responsibility. I’m disappointed in myself.”

It’s hard to fault Farrell too much for the decision. Neither Hamilton (3-for-12) nor Fielder (0-for-4) had much exposure against Uehara. And while Hamilton typically feasts on Red Sox pitching, he still had played in just six games this season before grabbing a bat in the ninth inning.

One couldn’t help but think back to Nelson Cruz’s walk-off hit against the Red Sox on May 15, which came after Farrell opted to pitch to the Seattle Mariners slugger with first base open and two outs in the ninth inning — a move the manager later dubbed a “terrible decision.” But the situations were completely different.

Cruz, who was sizzling at the time, represented a meaningless run in a 1-1 game, making Farrell’s decision to not walk him extremely perplexing. Fielder, on the other hand, represented a very meaningful run, essentially forcing Farrell to decide between the lesser of two evils.

“We’ll take a chance with a guy coming off the bench versus a guy in the rhythm of the game,” Farrell said, explaining Sunday’s choice.

It’s one of those situations where you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. If you pitch to Fielder and he ties the game, the question becomes, “Why did you pitch to Fielder with first base open when he’s been swinging such a hot bat?” If you walk Fielder to face Hamilton and Hamilton knocks in the winning run, which is what happened, the question becomes, “Why did you willingly put the winning run on base?”

The only way Farrell could have won in the scenario was if Uehara successfully closed the door against whoever he faced. That didn’t happen, so let’s blame Sandoval’s error for creating the Red Sox’s disastrous ending while simply taking note of the manager’s gamble.

Thumbnail photo via Jim Cowsert/USA TODAY Sports Images