Latest news with #JordanHicks


Newsweek
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Red Sox's 'Dominant Late-Inning Reliever' Not Fulfilling Front Office's Expectations
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. When Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke to the media following the shocking Rafael Devers trade in June, most of the attention was understandably on the reasons why the team decided to send away its superstar slugger. In the midst of that virtual press conference, though, Breslow tossed in one line about one of the returning pieces in that trade -- a comment that indicated he and the front office had very, very high hopes for one player in particular. "We're absolutely excited about bringing in Jordan Hicks, a dominant late-inning reliever into our mix," Breslow said. MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JULY 28: Jordan Hicks #46 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Target Field on July 28, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JULY 28: Jordan Hicks #46 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Target Field on July 28, 2025 in Minneapolis, far, Hicks has not lived up to the billing, and his performance on Monday night in Minnesota was his second downright ugly outing in the span of a week. With Aroldis Chapman hurt and Garrett Whitlock sick, Hicks was tasked with securing the 4-3 lead, which the Red Sox had taken with an RBI single from Roman Anthony in the top of the ninth. Yet after Hicks warmed up, heavy rains rolled into Minnesota and caused a 90-minute delay. When he came back out for the bottom of the ninth, he gave up a single to DaShawn Keirsey Jr. before hitting Mickey Gasper with a wild slider. After hitting Gasper, Hicks' very next pitch resulted in another hit batsman, this time putting Willi Castro -- who had been squaring to bunt -- aboard to load the bases. Hicks did induce a fielder's choice from Carlos Correa to record the first out of the inning, but Brooks Lee was able to slap an 0-2 fastball into left field, plating two runs and giving Minnesota a 5-4 walk-off victory. The blown save for Hicks came exactly one week after his disastrous outing in Philadelphia. Though that one was overshadowed by the rare walk-off catcher's interference, Hicks issued a four-pitch walk to the first batter he faced and then threw a wild pitch when Max Kepler tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Just three of Hicks' 10 pitches that night were strikes. Hicks did make two scoreless appearances in between those outings, but overall, he's allowed at least one run in four of his nine appearances with Boston. He's struggled with command, throwing strikes on just 57.2 percent of his pitches in July. He has two losses and a blown save to go with his two successful saves thus far. He's posted a 4.91 ERA and a 1.636 WHIP in his 7 1/3 innings of work, with five strikeouts, five walks, and two hit batsmen. That all might technically show some improvement from his 6.47 ERA in San Francisco this year, but he's still a far cry from the "dominant late-inning reliever" that Breslow excitedly sold the fan base six weeks ago. More MLB: Legendary Yankees Player Named Aaron Boone Replacement Option
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boston closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll return soon after back spasm forces him out
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll be able to pitch in a couple of days after walking off the mound with a back spasm in the eighth inning of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 'It's just a spasm. It should be gone in a couple of days,' he said through a team translator after the Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 for a series victory. In to face the top of the Dodgers' order, his velocity was noticeably down to mid-90 mph on his fastball instead of the high 90s to low 100s. Manager Alex Cora and a trainer came out to the mound to visit him after Shohei Ohtani flew out to the left-field warning track. Jordan Hicks entered and got out of a two-on, one-out mess when Teoscar Hernández lined to second and Ceddanne Rafaela dove to the bag, beating Hyeseong Kim for double play. Hicks pitched the ninth for his second save. 'Tight back. He should be OK,' Cora said of Chapman. Both Chapman and Cora said they didn't think there would be a trip to the injured list. 'I was definitely determined to stay out there, work through it,' Chapman said. 'Alex thought it would be better, smarter that we just 'call it' to avoid anything down the line.' The 37-year-old Chapman is having one of his better seasons in the majors with 18 saves and a 1.30 ERA, with much better control. He's walked just 11 in 41 1/3 innings. In early July he earned his 350th career save and said he'd like to reach 400. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boston closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll return soon after back spasm forces him out
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll be able to pitch in a couple of days after walking off the mound with a back spasm in the eighth inning of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 'It's just a spasm. It should be gone in a couple of days,' he said through a team translator after the Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 for a series victory. In to face the top of the Dodgers' order, his velocity was noticeably down to mid-90 mph on his fastball instead of the high 90s to low 100s. Manager Alex Cora and a trainer came out to the mound to visit him after Shohei Ohtani flew out to the left-field warning track. Jordan Hicks entered and got out of a two-on, one-out mess when Teoscar Hernández lined to second and Ceddanne Rafaela dove to the bag, beating Hyeseong Kim for double play. Hicks pitched the ninth for his second save. 'Tight back. He should be OK,' Cora said of Chapman. Both Chapman and Cora said they didn't think there would be a trip to the injured list. 'I was definitely determined to stay out there, work through it,' Chapman said. 'Alex thought it would be better, smarter that we just 'call it' to avoid anything down the line.' The 37-year-old Chapman is having one of his better seasons in the majors with 18 saves and a 1.30 ERA, with much better control. He's walked just 11 in 41 1/3 innings. In early July he earned his 350th career save and said he'd like to reach 400. ___ AP MLB: Ken Powtak, The Associated Press

Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Boston closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll return soon after back spasm forces him out
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll be able to pitch in a couple of days after walking off the mound with a back spasm in the eighth inning of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 'It's just a spasm. It should be gone in a couple of days,' he said through a team translator after the Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 for a series victory. In to face the top of the Dodgers' order, his velocity was noticeably down to mid-90 mph on his fastball instead of the high 90s to low 100s. Manager Alex Cora and a trainer came out to the mound to visit him after Shohei Ohtani flew out to the left-field warning track. Jordan Hicks entered and got out of a two-on, one-out mess when Teoscar Hernández lined to second and Ceddanne Rafaela dove to the bag, beating Hyeseong Kim for double play. Hicks pitched the ninth for his second save. 'Tight back. He should be OK,' Cora said of Chapman. Both Chapman and Cora said they didn't think there would be a trip to the injured list. 'I was definitely determined to stay out there, work through it,' Chapman said. 'Alex thought it would be better, smarter that we just 'call it' to avoid anything down the line.' The 37-year-old Chapman is having one of his better seasons in the majors with 18 saves and a 1.30 ERA, with much better control. He's walked just 11 in 41 1/3 innings. In early July he earned his 350th career save and said he'd like to reach 400. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jordan Hick retirement leaves Browns defense short-handed
Three days into camp, the Cleveland Browns are dealing another massive blow at linebacker as Jordan Hicks announces his retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons. Hicks was brought to Cleveland as a free agent in 2024 and played in 12 games, totaling 78 tackles and 2 sacks. Hicks hit his prime in Arizona during the 2019 season, where he had his best statistical season, but he wasn't on the radar of many to retire this close to the start of the season. With Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah already ruled out for the yea,r that leaves the Browns with Jerome Baker, Mohamoud Diabte, Devin Bush, and the rookie Carson Schwesinger to take the bulk of the snaps in 2025. The Browns quickly filled the spot by signing WR Winston Wright out of East Carolina, but look for Andrew Berry to bring in a veteran who can give you 20 to 30 meaningful snaps next season.