David Price says he doesn't fear Yankees or hate Boston

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David Price doesn't hate Boston, isn't afraid of the Yankees and says, "there's always a chance of anything" when asked about the possiblity of opting out of his contract after this season.

Those are some of the highlights of what Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy termed a "quick interview" with the Red Sox left-hander as he tries to rebound from consecutive poor starts when he takes the mound Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. 

Of the Yankees, who torched Price for eight runs and five home runs in a 3 1/3-inning start at Yankee Stadium on July 1 that put his ERA against them this season to 24.92:

"I feel great moving forward for the rest of the season and great facing the Yankees again, whenever that may be. That's a team I've pitched against a lot in my career, probably more than against any team in the big leagues, maybe with the exception of Toronto. I've pitched against both of them a lot and I've had some bad games against [the Yankees] a few times. I gave up nine straight hits against them when I was in Detroit in 2015. Nine straight hits. No walks, no sac flies, no hit by pitches, nine straight knocks."

The Red Sox next face New York Aug. 2-5 at Fenway.

On his feelings toward Boston: "I've never said I've hated Boston or had a problem with the fans. That's a perception that's put on me through you [media] guys. That's what that is. It's like when we were in Minnesota and I said I wasn't deserving of being an All-Star and didn't think I should be an All-Star, and then all that crap got put out. It turns into that. So write what you want to write."

Though he referred to the reaction about his comments in Minnesota, Price said he doesn't pay attention to criticism in newspapers or on the radio.

"I'm still not a subscriber to whatever papers there are," he told Shaughnessy. "I don't know the last time I've listened to FM or AM radio."

And about that opt-out available to him after the season in the seven-year, $217 million contract he signed before the 2016 season? 

"I'm not going to sit here and say there's zero percent chance when there's always a chance of anything, but that's nothing that I'm thinking about or putting any thought to, or talking to anyone else about," he said. "I expect to win and I expect to do that here."

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