John Farrell Defends Using Translators During Mound Visits

After Boston Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy questioned the need to have translators during visits to the mound, Red Sox manager John Farrell defended the practice.

"Whether it was with [Daisuke Matsuzaka] to Hideki Okajima to guys that were on our pitching staff, I would have liked to have an interpreter around," Farrell said Wednesday, per ESPN.com's Scott Lauber.

Remy's comments came during Tuesday night's game between the Red Sox and New York Yankees, via Sports Illustrated's Chris Chavez. 

In the fourth inning, a translator accompanied Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild as he spoke with Masahiro Tanaka on the mound. Remy commented that the use of a translator shouldn't be legal and that foreign players should "learn baseball language."

Remy apologized on Twitter Wednesday:

Remy's employer, NESN, also issued an apology, via MLB.com's Ian Browne:

"Relative to last night's NESN telecast from New York, NESN does not agree with any such views expressed by [Remy], and we know from talking to Jerry that he regrets making them. The network sincerely apologizes to anyone who was offended by Jerry's comments."

Relying on translators to speak with pitchers is seemingly essential when the pitcher isn't fluent in English or another language that he can use to converse with a coach or manager.

Mound visits often come at critical junctures of games, or they're a time for a coach to convey specific information about how to approach a certain situation or hitter. In those moments, it would be foolish not to take every step necessary to ensure both the player and coach fully understand what was said.