Eduardo Nunez took matters into his own hands after the Boston Red Sox lost Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees.
After the loss that knotted the series at a game apiece, the Boston infielder elected to hold a serious players-only meeting. But that didn’t go as planned.
Nunez, whose primary language is Spanish, was telling his teammates to be pickier at the plate.
“I was the one to speak, in the middle, and I tried to say, ‘Pass the baton,'” Nunez said via MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “But I said, ‘Pass the ton.’ Like if he doesn’t pitch you, then pass the ton. The next guy would take care of it. I said ‘Pass the ton’ and they all started laughing.
“I was saying, ‘What’s so bad about my English?’ he added. “They’re like, ‘No, you’re good, you’re perfect.'”
Despite it turning a bit comical, Xander Bogaerts got the message loud and clear.
“That’s what we’ve got to be able to do with this team. We’ve got to be able to pass it to the other guy,” Bogaerts said. “Don’t try to be the hero yourself because you want to be in the headlines. No. Just pass it on.”
The message seemed to work, as the Red Sox went on to advance to AL Championship series where they beat the Houston Astros in five games to advance to the World Series.
Game 1 from Fenway Park is Tuesday at 8:09 p.m. ET. as Boston looks to continue to “pass the ton” against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
