Things just aren’t going Mike Napoli’s way this season.
Napoli was excited in spring training, often saying how great he felt following offseason surgery to repair his sleep apnea. But through 69 games entering Sunday, the Boston Red Sox first baseman was batting just .203 with 69 strikeouts. It seemed Napoli was starting to turn things around over Boston’s past three games, but that progress crumbled before our eyes in the second inning Sunday.
After working the count full during his first at-bat, Napoli was called out looking on a questionable pitch on the lower outside corner of the plate. Napoli had put his bat down and started taking off his shinguard when home plate umpire Tripp Gibson III pulled the trigger on strike three.
A frustrated Napoli took exception to the call and had something to say to Gibson before walking away. That might have been fine, but Napoli continued the argument with an over-the-shoulder comment to Gibson that got him tossed.
The pitch certainly was close but appeared to be ball four. Given Napoli’s strikeout troubles lately, his disappointment is understandable. With Hanley Ramirez still unavailable but on the active roster, the Red Sox were left with just Deven Marrero and backup catcher Sandy Leon on the bench.
Making matters worse, Napoli posted a photo early Sunday morning with his grandfather, who apparently told him to relax and have fun.
With his early exit, Napoli will have plenty of time to reflect on everything Gramps had to offer and put it to good use when he gets back on the field.
