Dennis Eckersley is honest in the broadcast booth — just ask David Price. While Eckersley unabashedly pulls for the Red Sox, he isn’t afraid to criticize members of the hometown nine when they play poorly or recklessly.
When Garrett Richards went high and insideThursday, Eck let him hear it.
For the most part, Eckersley liked what he saw from Richards. The veteran right-hander shut out the A’s for six innings, fanning four batters and scattering just five hits in Boston’s 7-0 victory. At one point, Eckersley even likened Richards with Mariano Rivera, after he had struck out Mitch Moreland with a devastating cut fastball. (Richards has a 2.16 ERA in four starts since he revealed he’s never packed a jacket for a baseball season before.)
The only hiccup for Richards Thursday came in the top of the fifth inning, with outfielder Mark Canha at the plate and two runners on base. To start off the at-bat, Canha leaned into a breaking ball on the inner half, clearly trying to get plunked so he could head to first. Understandably, Richards wasn’t pleased, tossing an apparent f-bomb in Canha’s direction.
Eck backed him up.
“It didn’t hit (Canha), but he wanted it to hit him,” Eckersley said.
Mark Canha tries to get hit. #DirtyWater pic.twitter.com/Y5omSYhJWS
— Justin Groc (@jgroc) May 14, 2021
But in a laudable display of objectivity, Eckersley didn’t take Richards’ side in his next dispute with Canha, which came on the next pitch. As apparent retribution, Richards sailed a 94 mph fastball high and inside on the seven-year vet. Eckersley wasn’t having it.
“Oh my goodness! That is not good,” Eckersley said. “The timing of that is really bad. That’s head high. You can’t do that. That is wrong.”
The Hall of Famer continued.
“You can’t be Johnny Tough Guy,” Eckersley said. “That’s wrong.”
Garrett Richards almost nails Mark Canha in the head on the following pitch. pic.twitter.com/kLd1FRpdip
— Justin Groc (@jgroc) May 14, 2021
Interestingly, the A’s broadcast team didn’t seem nearly as moved by the incident, courtesy of @RedSoxStats.
A's broadcast reaction to Richards' pitch:
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) May 14, 2021
"Huh."
"Message delivered."
"Yep."
"Count even at 1 and 1."
NESN employed a three-man booth for the series, with Ellis Burks joining Dave O’Brien and Eckersley. The three enjoy a breezy chemistry, and it’s a joy to hear Burks and Eckersley swap stories from their playing days, such as when Eck reminded Burks how many times he took him yard (three).
Most of all, Burks seemed to enjoy himself in the booth, and even dished his own shade — albeit in light-hearted fashion. When Xander Bogaerts took a called strike down the middle of the plate in the sixth inning, Burks let the viewers know he would’ve swung at the meatball offering, and sent the ball a long way.
“Gotta be ready for that,” Burks said. “If I was at the plate, 8-0.”
So far, the O’Brien-Eck-Burks three-man booth is 3-0. Three games, three great broadcasts.
