Mark Melancon was the choice to take over in the bottom of the ninth after the Red Sox scored twice in the top of the inning to tie up today’s game against the Tigers. He went on to get one out and then give up two singles, after which he was pulled in favor of Alfredo Aceves. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t too happy about it. Somewhat surprisingly, he didn’t manage to cover that up in the postgame interview, though he did recover quickly.
Asked whether the hook came quick, Melancon responded:
Melancon spent most of last season as a closer, and he was used to getting opportunities to bail himself out of his own jams in Houston. Valentine didn’t show that same kind of faith in him today, turning to Aceves at the first opportunity. It didn’t work out, either, as Aceves went on to hit a batter and give up a game-ending single, tagging Melancon with the loss.
