A letter to Mookie Betts: Think of your legacy, and learn from Mo Vaughn

Dear Mookie:
I'm sure you don't remember me. We've met a few times at Jimmy Fund events and the Red Sox Winter Festival. Mostly I've just watched you from afar, building your resume as the best all-around Boston baseball player of the 21st century. It's been a joy to see the skills and enthusiasm you bring to the ballpark each day, and the great work you do away from it.

I am writing because I want you to consider something very strongly during this important time in your life: How do I want to be remembered? If you want people to think of you as a great athlete, congratulations, you've already got that. But if you want them to remember you as one of the all-time greats -- one of the handfuls of guys who are identified as baseball icons forever associated with a time and a place -- then you need to do something else.

Don't just think about the money.

Yes, that's easy for me to say -- it's not my money. And yes, there is a lot of money to make. An obscene amount. You've worked hard to get to the place where you can command it. It is your right, and if others who do not possess your overall skillset are getting X amount, you deserve X+Y. I get it all.

I know there are other factors. The Red Sox want to be under the luxury tax, they have big contracts they are trying to unload like David Price, etc, etc. But if you went to John Henry and said you wanted to do what it took to stay, you could make it happen. He would make it happen, I have to believe it. This is not the time, in the wake of the Alex Cora fiasco, for him to be making unpopular moves that he doesn't have to make.

And here's the thing: even if you don't get THE MOST money you can, you could still get a ton of it and stay in Boston. Then you would have a ton of money AND something you would NOT have elsewhere:

No surprises. 

None of us knows what the future holds. The tragic events in California last Sunday are a horrible reminder of that. We could be on top of the world one minute and then gone the next. But there are some things we can control. In Boston, you know you have a great situation. You are the face of the franchise, the best and most beloved player in the best baseball city on the planet. You have the comfort zone that comes with continuity, and that leads to consistency. Even if you get more money to go elsewhere, there is no guarantee that you will play as well or be as happy there. In Boston, sure, you could slip, but the chances are much greater you would continue at your current level than if you have to deal with a new environment, new teammates, new fans, and everything else.

Mo before the money.

We had an excellent ballplayer in Boston during the 1990s named Mo Vaughn. You've probably met him -- great guy, a real fan favorite, very charitable -- a lot like you. He couldn't hold your glove, but he was a terrific hitter. Vaughn was the face of the franchise and leader of the clubhouse. Big Papi-like in that regard. He OWNED Boston. Then he left all those sure things and went to LA, where it all went downhill. The fans didn't care, he got hurt, he didn't feel the passion, and his numbers suffered. He went from a Hall of Fame trajectory to a guy who couldn't stay on the Cooperstown ballot beyond the first year.

All for some more money.

Mo after the money.

The rumors are the Red Sox have offered you $300 million for 10 years. That's a LOT of money, even by baseball standards. Let's say you can get $350 million or even $400 million in LA or somewhere else for 10 years. Do you KNOW everything else there is going to be as good for you as it has been in Boston? Sure, it COULD be, but do you KNOW it?

You might be saying "Wait a minute, this isn't my fault, it's John Henry's. I told him I wanted to stay here." I don't doubt you did. But he was only willing to go so far based on the level your agent set. There was no wiggle room below it. You could create that wiggle room by coming up with a figure that while maybe not what you COULD get, would still be enough to have a very rich life fiscally and continue what is a very rich professional life. No surprises.

These are troubled times in Boston. The whole Alex Cora thing is awful for everybody involved. This may be a challenging year ahead. But if you stay here, and then continue on for another decade, you can be remembered as the man who bridged the gap -- who stayed the Face of the Franchise and helped the team and MLB overall through its rough patch.

Here's one more thing to think about.

If you stay, you have a chance to be one of the handful of baseball greats who spend their entire career with one team. This is an extremely select list in the free agency era. Think Tony Gwynn, Robin Yount, Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones. There is something very, very special about the way these guys are held in the public consciousness, and I believe one reason they all displayed such consistent excellence over such long periods is that they did not upset the apple cart by switching to another organization half-way through. They knew they had something good where they were, so they stayed put. I am guessing they also make a lot more in endorsement money than if they had a split career.

You could be Boston's Derek Jeter.

Look at Pedroia. He signed a team-friendly deal and has gone through injuries for much of it, but I can guarantee he will be remembered in Boston as one of the all-time great Red Sox. If he went elsewhere, and THEN got hurt, he would be looked at more like a Jacoby Ellsbury. Great player at his peak, but a guy who chased the money.

You only get once chance at this decision. I know you are not just another athlete in it for himself. Your actions on the field and off show that. Heading downtown to hand out food to homeless folks without the cameras whirring -- jerks don't do stuff like that. Yes, maybe John Henry SHOULD offer you more money -- maybe he even WILL in the end, before a trade is done.

But it doesn't look that way. It looks like he's gone as high as he's willing. So it's really up to you.

You've got a great thing, and it can continue for a decade or more -- and carry you with it into history.

See you in April.

Saul Wisnia

CC: John Henry, Chaim Bloom

p.s. In LA the fans come in the third inning and leave in the seventh. Just sayin'

Spiritual twin of 13-pitch Mookie Betts home run dates from a magical season

Thirteen-and-OUT! Maddy Meyer (Getty Images)

There has been much talk of lengthy at-bats concluding in home runs since Mookie Betts ended an epic 13-pitch duel with Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ by crushing a grand slam on Thursday night. Fans and media pundits seeking a comparable regular-season moment have come up with a few, including Dustin Pedroia's 12th-pitch blast for the 2007 Red Sox.

That season ended with a World Series championship -- just the sort of karma connection one is looking for in imagining Mookie's Green Monster-clearing shot as the catapult to a 2018 title. But 12 is not quite 13, and in fact no 13th-pitch homer by any Red Sox player can yet be found dating back to at least 1988 (when pitch-count data was first tracked).

There is, however, just such an at-bat that did result in a home run for a player whose team went on to a memorable postseason. It wasn't struck for Boston, which is probably why nobody in Red Sox Nation has come up with it yet.

When you're seeking good vibes, one can overlook such details. Credit for finding the spiritual twin to Mookie's shot goes to a friend with a zip code in Massachusetts but rooting interests that lay outside Boston.

Rob came of age as a baseball fan in 1968, when the Tigers rode Denny McLain's 31-win arm to a World Series title. He's been a Detroit diehard ever since, through many lean years and the occasional high points.

In 1984, as the first Yaz-less Red Sox club since the Eisenhower administration was slogging along at a sub-.500 clip, Sparky Anderson's Tigers gave their fans a thrill ride with a 35-5 start. Led by Hall of Famers Jack Morris and Alan Trammell, Detroit's deep roster featured a power-loaded lineup, excellent starting pitching and defense, and a reliever in Willie Hernandez who would capture both the Cy Young and MVP awards that year.

The '84 Tigers were a formidable crew.

It was a role player, however, who was responsible for what Rob and others claim as the most memorable hit of the regular season.

On June 4, in a nationally-televised AL East match-up at old Tiger Stadium, first-place Detroit and Toronto were tied 3-3 into extra innings. The Blue Jays were off to a great start at 34-16, nearly a .700 clip, but were still 4 1/2 games behind the white-hot Tigers. Toronto desperately wanted a victory to stay close. 

After the Jays failed to score in the top of the 10th, Detroit put two on with two out in the bottom of the inning. Up stepped Dave Bergman, who including that night had not homered in 99 plate appearances on the season.

Dave Bergman -- where it all happened.

All he needed to give his team the win, of course, was a single -- or even a walk -- but from the start he was swinging for the fences against Toronto pitcher Roy Lee Jackson.

"He was coming at me with fastballs and sliders, and I was taking my best rips," Bergman said later. "I was locked in; he was locked in. I really felt like I was going to hit the ball hard somewhere, and I'm sure he felt he was going to get me out."

Jackson reared back and threw, and Bergman swung. Again and again and again.

Jackson readies to pitch... and pitch... and pitch

The first five pitches were all hit foul, including one smash down the right-field line that briefly looked like a game-winner.

The sixth delivery was high, and Bergman laid off it for a ball. He didn't swing at the seventh either, which was just a bit outside -- prompting a groan of relief from the crowd.

After another foul, Bergman took Jackson's eighth pitch low, making the count 3-and-2.

Then came another foul ball. And another. And another.

Finally, on the 13th pitch, Bergman swung like a golfer in the rough at a low Jackson pitch and launched it into the second-deck porch in right field. It was Bergman's first home run in 100 plate appearances in 1984, and gave the Tigers a 6-3 win.

Bergman going all-out vs. Jackson.

Toronto never got so close to first place again, and Detroit ended the year with a 104-58 record and the AL East title. The Tigers then swept Kansas City in the ALCS and easily dispatched San Diego in a five-game World Series.

Bergman contributed just seven at-bats (and one hit) in the postseason, but all these years later his big moment of '84 is still credited as a launching point in Detroit's last world championship. He died in 2015, but is not forgotten.

Will Mookie's homer on Thursday work similar magic for this Red Sox team? Or will it be just a fond memory in a season that ends short of a title?

Time will tell, but for the next several months Boston fans can hope for the former.

Will Boston end the year like Detroit did in 1984? 

Mookie Betts hit three homers -- in case you didn't notice

Mookie goes yard -- did you hear?

Tune into either of Boston's sports radio stations day or night, and chances are you'll hear someone discussing the concurrent playoff runs of the Bruins and Celtics. Unless, of course, they are analyzing the relative merits of the Patriots draft picks.

The Red Sox have the best record in the major leagues at 22-8, and leadoff man Mookie Betts had his second three-homer game of the young season yesterday. Betts now leads all of baseball in batting (.365), slugging (.823), OPS (a Williamesque 1.274),.and runs (32), and with his usual stellar defense in right field has his sights set on an MVP award.

But despite an uptick in the TV ratings aided by the team's white-hot start, Betts and the Red Sox are flying low under the radar as Boston's other three major pro sports teams demand our attention.

Even the Red Sox are watching the Bruins.

Owners John Henry would certainly enjoy more hype around Fenway in the early going, but first-year manager Alex Cora likely has no complaints. The lack of focus on his club is affording him the opportunity to grow into his job without the media and fan scrutiny that normally comes with the job.

Take Tuesday. The Sox made four errors and left nine men on base in a 7-6 loss to Kansas City that also featured a blown save by closer Craig Kimbrel, but all fans were talking and tweeting about were wins by the Celtics and Bruins in their respective semifinal series the day before. It was the same thing Wednesday after Betts' big day.

This won't last forever, of course. Eventually, the local hockey and basketball teams will end their postseason runs, and the Sox will be back to front-burner status. There will be plenty of platitudes for Betts if he keeps up his heroics and much hyper-analysis of Cora's decisions. But for now, Mookie and Alex will no doubt enjoy their relative obscurity on the Boston sports landscape.

Don't get too relaxed, Alex. 

Mookie Betts saves Red Sox with gold glove and foul ball

Mookie robs Reddick

First Mookie Betts single-handedly kept the Red Sox alive in Game Three of the ALDS yesterday at Fenway Park with his glove, and then he unknowingly -- except for a few of us in Section 15 -- sparked an offensive explosion that propelled Boston to a 10-3 victory over the Astros and a chance to square their best-of-five series today.

Fans were still streaming into Fenway for what could be Boston's season finale when Houston took a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Sox starter Doug Fister. After the Astros got two men on in the second, chasing Fister, Josh Reddick hit a sharp fly off Joe Kelly towards the right-field corner. Betts sprinted after it with his usual graceful strides, and just as the ball appeared headed for the first or second row, he reached out and grabbed it with a basket catch reminiscent of Dwight Evans' robbery of Joe Morgan at nearly the same spot in Game Six of the 1975 World Series.

Hanley did his part - 4-for-4 with 3 RBI

The play ended the inning; rather than being down 6-0, the Sox were still in striking range. They got one run back in the second, and then in the third Mookie was at it again -- sprinting with his back to the plate and snaring an Alex Bregman smash over his shoulder just in front of the warning track (ending the inning and another Houston scoring threat).

 As Betts jogged in after this latest catch, Boston fans offered the reigning Gold Glover a huge ovation. Rachel and I, who had scored terrific seats in the first few rows of the lower grandstand behind the Red Sox dugout, high-fived our neighbor (and new Fenway friend) Nancy (not to be confused with our longtime friends Nancy and Nancy, aka "The Women of Section 30"). 

Betts nabs another

I was about to get much better acquainted with this new Nancy. In the bottom of the fourth, Betts hit a high foul ball toward our section. It looked at first to be off to our left, but then at the last moment it curved and slammed down directly into the empty seat between me and Nancy (who had nicely moved one over from her "real" seat earlier to give me extra legroom). The ball rolled under the seat, and as I reached down to grab it, Nancy's hand sneaked in at the last moment to nab the prize fair and square.

Rachel was momentarily disappointed, until I explained that the only way I could have grabbed the ball on the fly would be to have flung my beloved scorebook one way and shove Nancy the other. Plus, I said as I pointed to the band around Nancy's left hand, she appeared to have a wrist injury that I didn't want to harm further in our beneath-the-seat scramble.

Rachel forgives Dad

"I understand, Dad," Rachel said, in that 13-year-old way that you know is masking disappointment with a budding maturity so as to not wound her father's bruised ego. "We'll get another one."

Betts struck out on the next pitch, after which came a moment both comical and magical. I learned that Nancy wasn't injured at all -- what I thought was a brace of some sort was actually, she explained with a laugh, a wrist purse in which she was keeping her keys. She also told me she was especially excited about the ball because of a near miss years before. While at a game with her son in these same seats, she had a foul ball land directly in her beer, knock it from her hand, and then roll four rows away and out of her life. This was her payback.

It was also the spark to a Sox rally. The next four batters after Betts hit safely, highlighted by a two-run homer from rookie Rafael Devers that gave Boston a 4-3 lead. Nancy showed off her ball to folks around us, and then tucked in between her legs for safekeeping. Perhaps, I wondered, my near-treasure was meant to be hers -- and meant to be a talisman.

The Price was right for four shutout innings.

The redemptive David Price kept the Astros at bay over the next four innings, but Boston could not add to its one-run lead. A tenseness hung over Fenway, which in our row nearly became a panic after Nancy left to make a concessions run. Her husband Glenn suddenly jumped up, wild-eyed, and began running up and down the aisle peering into each of the five rows ahead of us.

"What's wrong, did you lose your keys?" I asked.

"No!" he yelled. "I lost the ball!"

Thankfully the beer-soaked sphere was retrieved, dried, and placed snugly into a cup holder by the time Nancy got back.

Safe and sound

When she heard about the near calamity she gave Curly a stern but loving look, happy that The Baseball Gods had saved her keepsake. Soon thereafter, the Red Sox batted around in a six-run seventh that put the game out of reach. Betts singled and scored during the outburst, and then added a few more web gems for good measure -- giving him seven putouts overall and the home team a newfound momentum going into Game Four.

Nancy, Glenn, the ball, and the wrist purse.

Rachel and I exited Fenway on high adrenaline, our perfect day at the ballpark completed, when suddenly a shock came over me not unlike that which had befallen Nancy's husband a few hours before. My keys -- including the pricey remote entry fobs for BOTH our family cars -- were gone. My TILE app (thanks for the Father's Day gift, Michelle) alerted me that they were "in Fenway Park," but we couldn't find them despite a law-breaking sprint back into the park and to our seats.

I would have to wait until Monday morning to call Fenway's Lost and Found, but at least -- thanks to Mookie -- Jason and I would be doing so on a game day.

In Elite Era for RF, All-Star Mookie Betts Holds His Own

Betts was all smiles north of the border.

Does Mookie Betts belong in the same class as Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge when talk turns to baseball's top right fielders? Ask Blue Jays fans who had their Canada Day weekend ruined by the newly-named All-Star.

After performing for two months this season below the Silver Slugger offensive standard he set as the American League MVP runner-up in 2016, Boston's five-tool standout has heated up -- capped by a 4-for-6, 2-homer, 8-RBI performance Sunday as Boston completed a weekend sweep of the Jays.

Since his average fell to .261 on June 2, Betts has hit .330/.406/.583 over his past 28 games to help the Red Sox to an 18-10 record and first place in the East. He's scored 24 runs during that period, thanks in large part to 11 doubles and 6 homers, and has contributed his usual Gold Glove defense.

Betts does like Dewey.

His efforts Sunday even gave Betts a franchise record: most RBI in one game by a leadoff hitter. He leads the AL with 27 doubles, and if you factor in his 15 stolen bases, he's now on pace for a 30-homer, 30-steal, 100-RBI season.

It would be ridiculous to claim anybody other than Judge was the league's top player for the first half of 2017, and even the biggest Red Sox fan would admit Mike Trout was a deserving MVP pick over Mookie last year.

But in an era stacked with outstanding right fielders like Judge, Harper, Giancarlo Stanton, and Toronto's Jose Bautista, Betts is every bit as deserving of an All-Star nod as the rest.

Now Joe Dombrowski needs to figure out how to sign the 24-year-old superstar to a long-term contract. Betts has been working on one-year deals so far, but this could lead to an astronomical payday when he's free agent-eligible after the 2020 season.

Not since the Aaron-Clemente-Kaline days of the 1960s has the right field position been this stacked. Those Hall of Famers all played at least 15 years with their original team, and it would be great if Betts could too.

Here's how Dave Dombrowski can solve the Farrell-Lovullo Red Sox managerial dilemma

Have we seen the last of this? 

The rumors out of Yawkey Way are that John Farrell will be back as Red Sox manager for the 2016 season, provided he is healthy after treatment for Stage 1 lymphoma. This would be a mistake.

As much as I wish Farrell well in his cancer battle and respect him for his 2013 World Series success and classy demeanor, this has been a different team since his bench coach Torey Lovullo took over as acting manager. The Red Sox have played with more energy, heart, and success since the switch, with numerous late-inning comebacks -- which was not the case earlier in the season.

Lovullo is now a hot commodity, and Boston stands to lose him as other teams seek to make managerial changes this offseason. Confounding the problem is that Lovullo has already said he will not take the Boston job if his friend Farrell -- who he served as a coach in both Boston and Toronto -- is fired or kicked upstairs to a desk job.

There is a solution, however, that might satisfy both men.

Your move, Dave. (www.csnne.com)

Monday morning, new Boston baseball czar Dave Dombrowski could invite them into his office and praise them for making the most of a tough situation. Since it was by working together that they were able to turn this hopeless year into a respectable one, he could explain, he doesn't want to break up that partnership. 

He just wants to reverse it.

Imagine a 2016 Red Sox team with Lovullo as manager and Farrell as his bench coach. It would be the best of both worlds.  The grizzled veteran providing wise counsel to a protege-turned-colleague out to match his past success.

Young players like Travis Shaw, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Blake Swihart who blossomed under Lovullo this late summer would not feel abandoned, nor would veterans like David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and Xander Bogaerts who went through the 2013 wars with Farrell. 

Lovullo has connected with players in 2015...

...as Farrell did before him. (Boston Globe)

Look at the Yankees dynasty of recent vintage. Any time he wanted in-game consultation from 1996-2003, manager Joe Torre could turn to his side and ask bench coach Don Zimmer -- a veteran of 1,744 games as a manager. The godfather-consigliere arrangement resulted in six AL pennants and four World Series titles.

Zimmer was no doubt frustrated he never won it all as manager, but he could seek solace in the fact his insights were beneficial to Torre's success -- and recognized as such. Zim didn't let his ego get in the way of a good gig.

Zim and Torre made it work. (Sports Illustrated)

Farrell doesn't quite have Zimmer's MLB tenure -- he's managed less than 800 games -- but he has won championships in the Boston pressure cooker as both a manager and pitching coach (under Terry Francona in 2007). Since pitching is the biggest fix now needed here, Farrell's expertise before, after, and during games would be invaluable.   

Both Farrell and Lovullo are proud men, but also smart enough and close enough to see that this could work. 

Even if he recovers fully, Farrell could probably benefit from being in a job with less stress and media demands. He could head home earlier after games, get more rest, and still be near the world's best medical care. 

Farrell can also look to his track record. Sure, he was at the helm for the 2013 champs, but he's also finished last 3 of his 4 years in Boston (the club was 50-64 when he stepped down this year). In six years as a manager, including 2011-12 in Toronto, he's finished over .500 once. Maybe he's a great baseball man but not cut out to lead.

Could they handle a role reversal?

Then there is Lovullo. As well as he has done in his first two months as an MLB manager, he is still largely unproven. He knew the players on this team well when he took over in August, and they responded beautifully to him. If he stayed he could help them take the next step; in another city he would be starting from scratch -- and without a close friend by his side. 

Why not give it a shot? Farrell has a guaranteed contract from the Red Sox through 2017, with a club option for 2018, so John Henry will be paying him regardless. If it doesn't work, Dombrowski would still have the option of offering Farrell another position in the organization and/or firing Lovullo. 

Dombrowski and Lovullo: still a chance. (Getty Images) 

Firing Farrell and/or losing Lovullo to Washington or another team would be a public relations nightmare. Flipping their roles would be a wonderful feel-good story, providing it is spun as a decision made by the two men involved. Farrell has already won it all, so maybe he would enjoy helping his friend do the same.

There is one more reason Dombrowski should make this move: He knows it was not Farrell who assembled the train wreck of a roster Boston had entering 2015. Farrell didn't let Jon Lester go and fail to sign a true No. 1 starter. He didn't bring in Hanley Ramirez and his crappy attitude to play left field, or overpay for Pablo Sandoval because he had a cute nickname and gaudy World Series stats.

That was Ben Cherington and John Henry's team. The 2016 Red Sox will be all Dombrowski's, and John Farrell and Torey Lovullo should both be given a chance to lead them -- together.

    

Xander Bogaerts could go from All-Star snub to batting champ

Miggy -- I want YOU! (Getty Images)

Look out, Miguel Cabrera, someone is gaining on you.

On Sept. 1, Xander Bogaerts was batting .316 after a 2-hit game against the Yankees. Cabrera, Detroit's dynamic first baseman, was at .359 after 2 hits of his own against the Royals -- and seemingly a lock for his fourth AL batting title.

In the three weeks since, while most New England sports fans focused on David Ortiz's quest for 500 home runs and the start of the Patriots season, Bogaerts has continued his season-long consistency at the plate. A slumping Cabrera, meanwhile, has seen his average hit a free-fall. 

Entering play tonight, Cabrera -- 1-for-21 in his last six games -- is at .335. While this mark still leads the league, Bogaerts has hit .375 for the month to make what was once thought a runaway into a race.

Miguel is mystified. (Getty Images)

The way both players are trending, Bogaerts has a real chance of wiping out the 14-point gap between them. After a .240 rookie season last year, Bogaerts has been one of the game's most consistent hitters all of 2015. He has batted .312 or better each of the past four months and his .345 mark since May 31 leads all of MLB.

Cabrera is headed in the opposite direction. Since a ground-ball single against the Royals his first time up on Sept. 10, he has gone hitless in 20 straight official at-bats (plus three walks). He hasn't homered in 18 games, and while he claims he's not injured -- he missed more than a month mid-season with a strained calf -- clearly something is not right.

Further working against Cabrera is the state of the two teams. Neither the Tigers or Red Sox is playing for the postseason, but while Boston has injected life into its late summer with a dynamic young nucleus including Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, and Jackie Bradley Jr., Detroit is essentially playing out the string with a lackluster lineup that offers their two-time MVP little protection.  

Young Guns are shining for Boston.

Just 17 games are left in Boston's season, so Bogaerts can't afford many off-days and nights if he's going to have a shot to overtake Cabrera. The way he's hit all year, however, it doesn't appear a slump is likely. 

Whatever happens, it will make for a fun few weeks of box-score glancing. 

Eduardo Rodriguez dazzles in first Red Sox start -- now Ben needs to give him another

For starters, Rodriquez lives up to the hype.

For most of two months, the Red Sox have sought the spark needed to get their season on track. Now that they may have found it, they would be smart to keep it around.

Last night, in his major league debut, Eduardo Rodriguez shut down one of MLB's hottest-hitting teams in a 5-1 win over the Texas Rangers.  Boston's much-hyped lefthander allowed just 3 hits and 0 runs in 7 2/3 innings, with 7 strikeouts and 2 walks, while performing with poise well beyond his 22 years. 

In fact, Rodriguez pitched with the type of confidence that another Red Sox lefty -- Jon Lester -- displayed so often during his long career in Boston. Beginning with a strikeout of .368 hitter Prince Fielder to end the first inning, Rodriguez was in control throughout the contest with excellent command of his 93-94 mph fastball, slider, and change-up. 

Eduardo has a grip on things.

He did a terrific job moving in and out off the plate, and in mid-game allowed just one walk in a 15-batter stretch that included three strikeouts in the fifth inning. His 106 pitches tied his career high as a professional.

When Rodriguez got the call to report to Arlington from Triple A Pawtucket, he did so with the understanding that he would be returning to the minors after one spot start -- serving as a hole-plugger during a 20-day stretch in which the Red Sox have no days off. Now, however, GM Ben Cherington may want to reconsider that strategy.

If ever a guy deserved a chance to earn a spot in the rotation, it's Rodriguez.

Just how monumental was this performance? You have to go back to 1967 and the near no-hitter by "Impossible Dream" footnote Billy Rohr to find a younger Red Sox pitcher who went further in his MLB debut.

Billy Rohr went 8 2/3 no-hit innings in his debut.

Throw in Hanley Ramirez's first home run since April 29 and three-hit nights from leadoff man extraordinaire Dustin Pedroia and No. 2 man Mookie Betts, and you have one of the most satisfying wins of the year.

Whether it also turns out to be one of the most meaningful remains to be seen. 

Knuckleballer Steven Wright -- coming off an excellent start of his own last weekend -- will do his best to keep the mojo going Friday night.

When asked before Rodriguez's start whether an especially strong outing would force the club to keep him around, Boston manager John Farrell said "we'll really, really reconsider." After the game, Farrell said the rookie would definitely be making another start -- if it was up to Farrell.

The final decision, however, will be made by Cherington. Let's hope he makes the right one.

Fielder and the Rangers had no answers.

Buchholz, Pedroia bashers seek new tagets after Opening Day

 Been there, done that -- Pedroia after No. 2. (AP)

One was a former MVP prematurely past his prime, his offensive moxie gone thanks to hand injuries and years of over-zealous play. The other was the ultimate tease -- a pitcher with all the stuff in the world but an inability to stay healthy or hungry.

Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz were two big Red Sox question marks during the offseason, with naysayers taking to the sports talk radio airwaves to lament about Pedroia's wilting power numbers and Buchholz's status as an unreliable No 3 starter anointed as a No. 1 purely out of necessity.

Monday night, however, the cynics were noticeably quiet after Boston's 8-0 Opening Day win at Philadelphia. Buchholz's seven shutout innings (with nine strikeouts) were certainly ace-like, while Pedroia was 3-for-5 with two homers from the No. 2 spot in the batting order.

Clay's Day -- Buchholz flattens the Phils.

Manager John Farrell noted after the game that Pedroia's success was no surprise given the additional " freeness in his swing" Farrell noticed during spring training. Last year Pedroia didn't hit his second home run until Mother's Day, and had just 7 all season; if he can get back to the 15- to 20-homer/.850 OPS numbers he displayed in 2008-11, it will provide a huge boost to Boston's offense.

Defense has never been a concern with Pedroia, and the reigning Gold Glove winner was at it again with two great diving plays in the opener. It was, however, the first time in four years that he's had a two-homer game.

Petey brought his glove to work too.

As for Buchholz, the slim right-hander did a lot to silence those who worried he would fail in replacing former Sox ace Jon Lester atop the rotation. Of his 94 pitches, 65 were strikes, and he had his great curveball and change-up working in addition to a 92-mph fastball. 

Buchholz was efficient and dominant, two traits he displayed in streaking to a 9-0 start in 2013 before missing three months with a shoulder injury. He outpitched Phillies ace (and Red Sox rumor-mill favorite) Cole Hamels, who lasted just 5 innings, as well as Lester, who couldn't make it through the fifth in losing his first start for the Cubs on Sunday night.

So with Pedroia and Buchholz both clicking, who can the naysayers turn to now? How about Mookie Betts and his ridiculous near-.450 spring training average, or the over-paid, over-hyped Hanley Ramirez?

Two HR for Hanley -- this one a granny (Globe)

No, that's not going to work either. Betts (2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 runs) and Ramirez (2-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI) did pretty well Monday too.

Better make it David Ortiz then. The DH-turned-first baseman was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the opener, and this will most certainly be the year age finally creeps up on Big Flabby.

At least for a day.

Theo Epstein, Cubs to Red Sox: "Let's make a really big deal."

Betts and Fenway -- Theo wants them both.

After already adding more than a dozen former Red Sox onto his 40-man roster and coaching staff,  Cubs general manager Theo Epstein is determined to continue the trend in his quest to take Chicago's NL club to its first World Series appearance since 1945.

In a series of overtures Wednesday afternoon to his friend and successor Ben Cherington, Epstein made it clear he was willing to do whatever necessary to get the Cubs back to the Series and a chance at their first world championship since 1908.

"I believe Mookie Betts has what it takes to put us over the top," said Epstein, "and I think he's worth a starting lineup in trade." 

This is exactly what Epstein offered Cherington for Boston's .467-hitting center fielder, Chicago's entire projected starting lineup plus ace pitcher Jon Lester -- who, of course, the Cubs signed as a free agent over the winter after he helped the Red Sox to two World Series titles.

Could Lester be coming back?

"Did you ever see that old Bugs Bunny cartoon where he plays all nine positions at once and beats a team of Babe Ruth-types single-handedly?" Espstein told a reporter. "We want Betts to be our Bugs."

Although three major leaguers have played all nine positions in one game -- Bert Campaneris, Cesar Tovar, and Scott Sheldon -- nobody has ever played all nine at the same time. To do so, Betts would have to use his terrific speed to sprint from one spot to the other on the diamond faster than the ball.

Bugs could do it -- how about Betts?

Asked if he would consider the trade, Cherington said only that "we are always open to discussion with other teams," but with Betts already being compared to the likes of 2013 National League MVP Andrew McCutchen after just 52 games of major league experience, it is likely Boston's GM will hang on to his 22-year-old phenom.

Epstein also proposed a pair of additional trades Wednesday: Wrigley Field for Fenway Park and mascot Clark the Cub for Wally the Green Monster. Cherington had no comment on either offer.

Theo will throw in the ivy too.