Boston Red Sox Manager Terry Francona Made Inexcusable Mistake with Josh Beckett

When Red Sox Manager Terry Francona allowed pitcher Josh Beckett to throw 125 pitches against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim back on April 21st, the decision went largely under the radar.

Well, Francona's choice should have been criticized then.  It was a mistake for Beckett to ever throw that many pitches.  Beckett has been hindered by injuries the past few years.  In his first few starts, he's looked better than he has since 2009 or perhaps 2007, when he helped lead the team to the World Series. 

There was no reason whatsoever to push Beckett to capacity in a game in April.

On Sunday, after the Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, we learned that there might have been real consequences to Beckett's unusually high pitch count on April 21st.  That it might have affected or even hurt Beckett somehow. 

On Sunday, the Red Sox told the media that Beckett's next start would be pushed back until they see how Beckett does in his side session on Monday.  The earliest he'll pitch is Wednesday, which would give him six days' rest rather than four.

Pitching coach Curt Young said Beckett is not injured but also said the team "just want(s) to make sure his body is feeling good and healthy."

It was a vague statement.  The team appeared to indicate, without openly admitting it out loud, that Beckett had showed some physical signs of concern as a result of his 125-pitch effort on April 21st.  The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham posted a short story that stated that Beckett's 125-pitch outing "has apparently taken a toll on him."  

Young indicated that Beckett had thrown well in his April 27th outing (that followed the 125-pitch game) and had been restricted to 92 pitches.

Yet, despite Young's claim that Beckett is not injured, fans cannot help but worry about Beckett's status, given his struggles to stay healthy the past couple of seasons. 

In fact, in recent weeks, when Beckett has flourished, we've seen more reports that have suggested he was even more impacted by injuries during the 2010 season than we had known previously.  In his first start April 5th, Beckett looked terrible—like a guy who was still somehow influenced by his past injuries. 

Then, in his few subsequent starts, Beckett has looked terrific, throwing his fastball with its old zip, his biting curve ball and a new, more effective changeup.

Beckett's re-emergence has been one of the most important, best developments in this young Red Sox season.  Now, maybe, this recent development will mean nothing, but, regardless of how Beckett pitches, I think there is no good reason for Francona, Young and General Manager Theo Epstein to not go out of their way from this day forward to protect Beckett's arm and his overall health.

On April 21st, it made no sense for Beckett to push himself and his arm to the fullest to help win a game.  It's Francona's responsibility to help ensure that and sometimes that means protecting Beckett from himself.  I say that because Beckett, like many good athletes, has shown a tendency to want to play through injuries to his own detriment and the detriment of the team. 

The whole episode reminds me of how the Red Sox, particularly former manager Grady Little, did such a poor job of taking Pedro Martinez out of games (when he reached a certain pitch count) in the latter part of the 2003 season.  That bad habit culminated with Little leaving Pedro in too long in Game 7 of the ACLS, causing the tortuous loss to the New York Yankees.

I vividly recall my spontaneous, negative reaction to Francona's decision to leave Beckett in that April 21st game as he got past 105, 110, 120 pitches.  I thought it was crazy. 

Why would Francona take any risks with Beckett after Beckett was off to such a dazzling start to the 2011 season?  There was no need to leave Beckett in that game.  Beckett had pitched beautifully; in fact, the second hit he gave up was Tori Hunter's two-run homer, which tied the game, in the bottom of the 7th inning. 

Francona should have taken Beckett out sometime soon after he passed the 100-pitch mark.

A few observers made note of Francona's unusual move that night and one reporter wrote later that 125 pitches was not only high for Beckett's recent pitching history, but it was one pitch shy of the highest pitch count in his entire career! 

After that game, Francona replied to reporters' questions about leaving Beckett in by simply saying he felt that Beckett was OK.  No one pushed him hard to explain why he chose to test his pitcher unnecessarily.

Let's hope Beckett is fine and continues his excellent start to 2011.  If he's hurt or his performance declines as a result of this episode, I'm sure Francona will be held more responsible.  To me, however, Francona made a mistake either way, and he should know better than to take a risk with Beckett or any of his starters.