The Boston Red Sox used the expanded roster in September to add more than a little depth to their bullpen for a playoff push.
The Red Sox entered Wednesday 5.5 games back of the second wild card spot in the American League with 24 games remaining in their regular season. In order to help them close the gap on the teams ahead of them, Boston called up four pitchers, giving them a whopping 21 pitchers on the roster.
The result was a crowded group hanging out in the pen during the game:
Red Sox have 21 pitchers on roster, which makes for a crowded bullpen. pic.twitter.com/kPdLSth4Sf
— Tom Keegan (@TomKeeganBoston) September 5, 2019
Here’s who the Red Sox had in the bullpen for their game on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins.
Pictured: Red Sox bullpen, tonight, and @stmarysca's phone booth from a 1959 LIFE Magazine feature. https://t.co/f05shmEsiD pic.twitter.com/bry8xE2xOM
— Adrian Garro (@adriangarro) September 5, 2019
The list of 17 pitchers in bullpen included: Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Colten Brewer, Andrew Cashner, Jhoulys Chacin, Trevor Kelley, Travis Lakins, Mike Shawaryn, Josh Smith, Hector Velazquez, Marcus Walden, Ryan Weber, Brandon Workman, Darwinzon Hernandez, Brian Johnson, Bobby Poyner and Josh Taylor.
It may be unorthodox, but manager Alex Cora is planning on going with a “winter ball” tactic down the stretch.
Cora: ‘We’re going winter ball style. Games, instead of going four hours are going five hours.’ Then adds: ‘Our starters are not giving us enough…We need outs…We’re not waving a white flag. We’re going to keep on pushing.’
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) September 4, 2019
If it works and the Red Sox make it to the postseason, few fans will be complaining about the outcome. What some may complain about is having to watch four-to-five hours games to get there. At least they won’t have to worry about the same thing next year when September roster expansions are limited to 28 players.
