“We’re in the yes business,” the late Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino used to say, and he said it often. Yes . It was short and sweet, and it conveyed a progressive, forward-looking message, even if, OK, the Red Sox didn’t say yes when it came time to make sure Jon Lester played his entire career in Boston.
Advertisement Anyway, the Red Sox no longer are in the “yes” business. Based on some recent comments from manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, not to mention a purpose pitch from right-hander Brayan Bello that served no purpose, it appears this team has transitioned to the “What We Have Here is Failure to Communicate Red Sox.” In chronological order, here are the recent failures to communicate that are worthy of discussion: • In the sixth inning of Boston’s 7-1 victory over the Yankees last Saturday in the Bronx, Bello threw a pitch behind Bombers slugger Aaron Judge .
If the pitch was supposed to be payback for Yankees starter Gerrit Cole hitting Rafael Devers in the first inning, well, he missed his target. • Before Sunday’s game, a 5-2 victory by the Yankees, Cora seemed to indicate Bello didn’t do what he was perhaps supposed to do, such as, oh, direct a pitch at Judge’s hip. “So, you know, we had our chance,” Cora told reporters.
“Didn’t happen, and we have to move on.” GO DEEPER Red Sox rally around Rafael Devers, but fail to capitalize on momentum in New York • And then there’s Breslow, the former big-leagu.