NEW YORK — The last time Addison Reed pitched at Yankee Stadium, his manager tried to remove him in the middle of an at-bat. That was Aug. 13, two days after he allowed four runs to the Yankees in a messy series for a reliever breaking in with a new team.
The righty has been lights out since then, with nine innings pitched, three hits, one walk and just one earned run allowed. The 11-to-1 strikeout ratio in that time is exactly the level of effectiveness the Red Sox expected.
Reed’s latest outing made it look easy once again: he retired the side in order in the eighth inning Friday night at Yankee Stadium in a 4-1 Sox win. He faced the Nos. 9-1-2 hitters, including pinch-hitter Aaron Hicks (line out to center), Brett Gardner (ground out to first) and Aaron Judge (fly out to center).
What’s changed?
As Reed said repeatedly after Friday, nothing. He’s adamant about that. It’s not a matter of feeling more comfortable, none of that. The game where Farrell tried to remove him mid at-bat didn’t spark a fire under him, he said.
Steady, steady, steady.
Reed pitched for the Mets, so he’s used to an intense media market. But he definitely doesn’t sound like someone who appreciated being judged based on his fifth appearance with his new team. His 4.05 ERA in 13 1/3 innings with the Sox overall is still skewed by that one bad game. But, he has 15 strikeouts compared to just three walks in that time.
Boston Red Sox
“Doing the exact same thing,” Reed said. “I mean, it blows my mind why people are making such a big deal out of one outing. I mean, I guess it’s a story for you guys to write. So if you guys want to keep on running with that. I mean, I had an outing where I gave up four runs. That’s gonna happen.”
The trouble is, first impressions after the trade deadline mean a lot, and the four-run blow-up came in a Sox-Yankees game.
“Didn’t change a thing,” Reed reiterated. “Four guys scored without me getting an out. That was about all that happened.”