Chaim Bloom explains the Rays way of doing things
The ebbs and the flows of a baseball season are often difficult to navigate. There is a game almost every day, and the urge not to overreact to here and now can be sometimes impossible.
It's a reality Chaim Bloom articulated during his most recent 'Baseball Isn't Boring' podcast appearance last week.
"Baseball is a game where emotionally ... When you're on a win streak, when you're on one of those heaters you feel like you're never going to lose," the Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer explained. "Then you go on a stretch like the past week where it's really easy to feel how are we ever going to win a ballgame and it's the same group."
Welcome to a Major League Baseball season. Welcome to a doubleheader.
For instance, for the vast majority of the Red Sox' first scheduled doubleheader since 1978 Fenway Park was flush with optimism. There was a contract extension (Rob Refsnyder), a come-from-behind Game 1 win, the feel-good images of a good chunk of the front office (including Bloom) pitching in to clean up the stands in between games, and then Alex Cora's team managing to head into the ninth inning deadlocked and on the verge of sweeping the best team in baseball.
Oh, and within the baseball sunshine on a gloomy day was closer Kenley Jansen presenting the good stuff in shutting down that first game.
But, as the fans finally filtered out of Fenway after this longest of long days, the reality of this baseball bizarreness had struck once again. Another Jansen appearance had resulted in Tampa Bay's two-run ninth inning, leaving Red Sox fans battling with the day's giddiness/nausea combo.
So, with the Red Sox heading into two more games with the Rays, there wasn't much time to reflect on the blur of Saturday. But such days don't come around too often - as was evidenced by that 35-year gap between scheduled doubleheaders - so it's probably worth at least some reflection ...
THERE WAS A PREGAME PRESS CONFERENCE: As the Red Sox were preparing for their day of two baseball games, there was an announcement made by the team: Rob Refsnyder had agreed to a one-year contract extension for 2024 ($1.85 million) with a team option for 2025 ($2 million). For a 32-year-old player desperately trying to find his way in this MLB world for most of his career, this was a big deal.
"I’ve gotten some really really nice texts from some family members, some friends and people that mean a lot to me and have stuck with me and encouraged me and it's definitely a day of reflection and thankfulness,” said Refsnyder. “So it’s something I'll definitely celebrate with my wife hopefully here on an off-day or something like that. Hopefully our babysitter's available and you can get a glass of wine and kind of reminisce about some of those highs and lows. It's been really special to kind of think about, even right now."
THERE WAS A REMINDER THAT JUSTIN TURNER AND THE RED SOX FIT WELL TOGETHER: The designated hitter/third baseman/first baseman came up with the biggest hit of Game 1, ripping a bases-loaded, three-run, sixth-inning double to give the Red Sox a lead they would never relinquish. It was another key hit for Turner, who is now hitting .327 with a .957 OPS with runners in scoring position. But the entire package - including Cora's description of how the veteran continued to be a motivating dugout force throughout the Sox' comeback - continues be a peas-and-carrots-type-of-situation for Turner and his new team. He even scratched right where the Red Sox fans itched after the game when asked about how the whole experience has hit.
"Maybe even better," said Turner of how his Red Sox stint has unfolded compared to his initial expectations. "I think the atmosphere here every single day, whether it’s a rainy Tuesday or a Saturday night, the fans are here. The fans are loud. One thing that I've talked about to a few people that I've noticed is there's no there's no prompts on the scoreboard here to tell the fans when to cheer, to tell them when to get on their feet, to tell them when to make noise. Right. You see that every other place you go. But you don't see that here and our fans do a really good job of knowing when to get on their feet, knowing when to make noise, knowing when to be engaged and our players feed off that so that's been incredible."
THERE WAS ANOTHER GOOD UNEXPECTED LEAD BY EXAMPLE MOMENT: It started with Larry Lucchino and has now continues with the current Red Sox group. ... Sometimes not every bit of the glamorous world of baseball is fun. Point in case: Cleaning up garbage in the rain.
THE RAYS WILL ALWAYS REMIND YOU THEY AREN'T A FLUKE: After Game 1, it was easy to start picking apart the juggernaut that are the Rays. In the previous 26 games, they had only managed a .500 mark, while totaling a 14-13 record on the road compared to 26-6 at home. Maybe the clouds were parting for the Red Sox to actually jump on this Tampa Bay semi-downturn on the way to a doubleheader sweep. But, nope. Thanks to a Rays staff led by Tyler Glasnow, the Sox could only manage five hits and two runs while the visitors managed to get the better of Jansen in the ninth. When you have a record of 41-19, you're probably doing something right.
THE REAL MOMENT THE DAY WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR: A day of baseball is all well and good. But when you have a moment like Joe Castiglione did in the Red Sox broadcast booth, that's the true punctuation.