The Boston Red Sox put Jason Varitek behind the plate Thursday afternoon during their intrasquad scrimmage.
No, Varitek didn’t return to his catching post. Instead, the two-time World Series champion served as the umpire for the Sox’s contest at Fenway Park.
We’re not sure what kind of strike zone Varitek established for the scrimmage, but his strike-three call was pretty impressive. The Red Sox shared a clip of the ex-catcher ringing up J.D. Martinez on a called third strike.
Tek behind the plate… Umping! 👊 pic.twitter.com/DIMcJcQ9IJ
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 9, 2020
Considering Varitek spent 15 years behind the dish in the big leagues, we probably shouldn’t be surprised a solid strike-three call came naturally to him.