Bobby Valentine researches opposing pitcher on cell phone, posts wrong lineup
Those who follow the Red Sox very closely may have noticed that Bobby Valentine made some late changes to his lineup on Wednesday. Lineup cards are shuffled across baseball on a daily basis, typically because of injuries and illness or changes an opponent might make in the hours leading up to the game. As Bobby V. showed us, there are also rare instances when a manager makes an error researching an opponent on his cell phone and fills out the wrong lineup because of it.
As Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com pointed out, Valentine initially had right-handed hitters Kelly Shoppach and Darnell McDonald in the lineup a few hours before Wednesday game against the Twins. He laters swapped them out for left-handed hitters Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Sweeney, and here’s why:
“I looked on this thing and there was no history on (Twins pitcher Liam Hendriks),” Valentine said pointing to his cell phone. “It had his name, and ‘against left-handed hitting.’ My fault. That’s why you make these lineups out early enough.”
Hendriks is a right-hander. Apparently Bobby V. saw “against left-handed hitting” and thought he was a left-handed pitcher. Fortunately, Saltalamacchia caught the error in time. The Red Sox catcher drove home two runs in the 6-5 victory, so it’s a good thing he discovered the mistake. Learn how to use a cell phone, Bobby. We wouldn’t want to see things get uglier in Boston than they already are.
Photo credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE
