Latest news with #Refsnyder
New York Post
27-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder doesn't hold back after latest loss: ‘We suck right now'
The Red Sox's season has not gone as they'd hoped so far, and it seems to be impacting the clubhouse. Outfielder Rob Refsnyder admitted, 'We suck right now,' after team's 3-2 loss to the Brewers on Memorial Day that leaves Boston at 27-29, good for fourth place in the AL East. The Sox are 7.5 games behind the division-leading Yankees and 2.5 games out of the last AL wild-card spot. Advertisement 'I'm tired of losing, tired of losing close games,' Refsnyder, a former Yankee, told reporters after the team's third straight loss. 'We just need to figure it out and win some games. Bottom line.' Rob Refsnyder speaks to the media after the Red Sox's loss to the Brewers on May 26, 2025. X/NESN The 34-year-old continued to vent after he was asked about frustrations being amplified when they lose despite a strong performance from offseason trade acquisition Garrett Crochet, who took the loss Monday despite giving up two runs in 6 ⅔ innings on five hits and two walks with 11 strikeouts. Advertisement 'It's disappointing that we can't come through for him,' Refsnyder said after the Sox went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the defeat. 'It's not for a lack of effort or work ethic, game-planning. We're just not doing it. We suck right now. We've just got to be better.' Third baseman Alex Bregman, whose signing on a three-year, $120 million contract led the Red Sox to move star Rafael Devers to DH in a move he initially expressed displeasure about, was placed on the IL over the weekend with a quad injury. Bregman has 11 home runs, 35 RBIs, a .299 average and .938 OPS in 51 games this season. Advertisement Things have not gone well for another high-priced free agent, Trevor Story, who has six home runs, 21 RBIs, a .222 average and .594 OPS in 52 games. Story, 32, is in the fourth year of a six-year, $140 million contract. And while Crochet has been great, the rest of their rotation has been inconsistent at best. Advertisement Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (3) turns a double play as Red Sox pinch hitter Rob Refsnyder (30) slides into second base during the seventh inning on May 26, 2025. Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Refsnyder, a reserve outfielder, is hitting .314 with a .981 OPS in 59 plate appearances this year and had two walks in Monday's loss. The Red Sox play the Yankees for the first time this season starting June 6 in The Bronx.
Boston Globe
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Red Sox suffer another gut-wrenching walkoff setback against Tigers
The good feelings ended a day later with a 12-run loss against the Tigers. Then came an 11-inning heartbreaker as the Sox lost on a walk-off homer after twice taking leads in extra innings. What would Wednesday night bring? Even more drama. The Sox scored five runs off Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal but lost, 6-5, when Aroldis Chapman allowed a walkoff single to pinch-hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Chapman (2-2) walked leadoff hitter Zach McKinstry and trouble followed. Pinch runner Andy Ibáñez stole second and went to third with Connor Wong's throw sailed into center field. Advertisement With two out, Malloy lined a 99-m.p.h. fastball into center. The Sox are 4-12 in one-run games and back under .500 at 22-23. Skubal came into the game having allowed only four earned runs over 37 innings in his previous six starts. But the Red Sox took a quick 1-0 lead. Rafael Devers singled with one out, went to third on Alex Bregman's single to right field and scored on Rob Refsnyder's sacrifice fly. Advertisement It was Refsnyder's first game since May 1 because of back spasms. But he produced right away. The Tigers tied the game in the second inning. Riley Greene doubled to right field leading off the inning but didn't budge as Red Sox starter Hunter Dobbins struck out Dillon Dingler and retired McKinstry on a fly ball to right field. Trey Sweeney singled to left and Greene slid under the tag of catcher Carlos Narváez. Bregman lined a Skubal sinker into the left field stands in the fourth inning for his 11th home run. The Tigers came right back in the bottom of the inning as Colt Keith doubled and scored on a double by McKinstry. Dobbins cracked in the sixth inning. Keith led off with a single then Greene jumped on a center-cut fastball and sent it into the right field stands. Dingler followed with a single, which ended the night for Dobbins. A groundout, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly against Justin Wilson bumped the Detroit lead to 5-2. The Red Sox knocked Skubal out of the game in the seventh inning. Nick Sogard singled, Narváez drew a walk, and Ceddanne Rafaela knocked a single into right field to cut the lead to 5-3. Lefthander Tyler Holton replaced Skubal. Singles by Duran and Devers made it 5-5. Bregman drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch called in righthander Tommy Kahnle to face Refsnyder. Alex Cora countered with lefthanded hitting Wilyer Abreu. But he did the one thing he couldn't and grounded into a double play. Advertisement Liam Hendriks came on to pitch the seventh inning. Kerry Carpenter sent a line drive to right field that Abreu made a leaping attempt to catch. The ball deflected off his glove … right into the glove of Rafaela, who had raced over from center. Peter Abraham can be reached at
Boston Globe
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Instead of retired life, outfielder Rob Refsnyder rolls right along in important Red Sox role
Refsnyder has hit .333 with a .967 OPS through 12 games and 36 plate appearances this season. He's 6 for 17 against lefthanders with three extra-base hits and four RBIs. He also has played strong defense in right field. 'He's been huge for us,' Sox manager Alex Cora said. 'It seems like every time he's been in the lineup, he's done something.' Related : In Refsnyder and infielder Romy Gonzalez , the Sox have two players who can still produce after not playing for a few days. They hit fifth and sixth in Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Refsnyder homered and drove in two runs. Gonzalez drew a walk and scored two runs playing first base. Advertisement 'You find ways to stay ready,' Refsnyder said. 'Both of us, we know the role.' Sean Newcomb has made six appearances (five starts) in his first season with the Red Sox. Brett Phelps for The Boston Glob New role for Newcomb? Sean Newcomb pitched an inning of relief against Cleveland on Sunday, striking out three of the four batters he faced. When righthanders Giolito and Brayan Bello opened the season on the injured list, Newcomb was in the rotation. The lefthander went 0-3 with a 4.43 ERA in five starts. Newcomb has pitched mainly a reliever since 2019 and could fit into the bullpen. It will come down to whether the Sox prefer Newcomb or Brennan Bernardino . Advertisement Mayer wins IL award Marcelo Mayer was the International League player of the week after going 9 for 20 with 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 7 runs, and 12 RBIs over six games. The 22-year-old Worcester infielder is hitting .280 with an .872 OPS and 34 RBIs through 23 games this season. Related : WooSox outfielder Roman Anthony hasn't played since Friday when he fouled a ball off his right foot. Worcester manager Chad Tracy told reporters there was 'a very strong hope' Anthony would return to the lineup for Tuesday's home game against Toledo. Anthony has hit .313 with a 1.039 OPS in 23 games. Crochet next in line Garrett Crochet will face righthander Bowden Francis in Daulton Varsho off the injured list ahead of the opener. He has been out all season recovering from shoulder surgery … The Red Sox promoted 22-year-old lefthander Brandon Clarke to High A Greenville. He allowed one run on two hits over 9⅔ innings in three starts for Single A Salem and stuck out 17 with two walks. The Sox also promoted Hayden Mullins , 24, was moved up to Double A Portland after posting a 1.06 ERA in four games at Greenville. Peter Abraham can be reached at
Boston Globe
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
MLB and MLBPA enjoying game's popularity surge. So what's next for baseball? Threatening to blow it up, naturally.
The percentage of younger (ages 18-35) ticket buyers and television viewers increased, and the Dodgers-Yankees World Series was the most-watched in six years thanks to the presence of star players like Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Juan Soto. So what's next for baseball? Advertisement Threatening to blow it up, naturally. Related : The collective bargaining agreement between the league and the MLB Players Association runs through the 2026 season. Commissioner Rob Manfred has already said the growing payroll disparity in the game is something he wants to address and suggested a lockout could spur constructive talks. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up That made Sunday's meeting between Red Sox players and union officials somewhat of a war council. The union staffers on hand included former Red Sox pitchers Andrew Miller and Mike Myers. 'Year four of a five-year agreement is largely focused in on collective bargaining prep,' Clark said. 'So, yes, there's been conversations and dialog out there, none of which we started.' That the Dodgers and Mets are expected to have a payrolls well over $310 million while at least five teams will be below $80 million That's a line the union has sworn it will never cross. The question then becomes whether the owners are willing to shut down the sport to see if the union breaks. Related : Then only the fans lose. It's been the same old tug-of-war for decades. Clark said the players don't see a salary cap as something the game needs to prosper. Last season would seem to prove their point. Advertisement But that doesn't mean the owners will stop trying. 'It's been consistent across every generation I've ever been a part of and it's still the case,' said Clark, who played for 16 years including Baseball lost only some spring training games during Manfred and Clark are ultimately stewards of their respective constituencies, not the game. Related : Rob Refsnyder was one of the players who sat and listened to Clark on Sunday. Beyond what it might mean for him personally, he doesn't want to see baseball take a step back. 'My first year in the big leagues was 2015 and I honestly can't remember a time when it felt like the fans were this engaged,' Refsnyder said. 'I think the sport is doing really, really well and the quality of baseball is at just an incredible high.' Refsnyder pointed to the athleticism he now sees in the game from pitchers and hitters alike. 'If you had told me in '15 this many guys would be throwing 100 [miles per hour] or hitting the ball as hard as they are, I wouldn't have believed it. The sport is growing and kids are really interested. I hope we figure it out because it's a great time to be in the sport.' Advertisement Will that still be the case in 2027? On a sunny day in Florida, it felt like Peter Abraham can be reached at
New York Times
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Why was Red Sox OF Rob Refsnyder name-dropped on TV's ‘Reacher'? He's as confused as anyone
The drifter had checked into a seedy motel under a false name, and he was lying in bed when federal agents banged on his door. Needing a quick getaway, he tried to open a bathroom window, and when it wouldn't budge, he used his absurdly large arms to knock the whole thing — window frame and all — through the cement wall and into the grass. He climbed over the sink and through the hole, escaping out back while the feds seemed none the wiser. Advertisement But then the loner came around a corner and an agent with a badge stopped him in his tracks. She had a thick Boston accent and said the proprietor had told her the stranger's name. 'He says you registered as Rob Refsnyder,' the agent said, 'but you don't look much like a middle infielder to me.' All of this happened 25 minutes into the season three premiere of 'Reacher,' an action crime show on Amazon Prime Video starring Alan Ritchson as the title character. And if you have questions — so many questions — about how Refsnyder, of all people, came to be a key plot point in a hit Hollywood thriller, imagine being one of the least Hollywood-type players in baseball, and your phone suddenly won't stop buzzing because you've just been name-dropped, out of nowhere, by a streaming service's No. 1 show. 'I'm like, why?' Refsnyder said. 'Why me?' That's the big question and a fair one. The answer is partially because Ryne Sandberg never played for the New York Yankees, but that's more of a second-act reveal. We'll get to it in a moment. For now, we need to introduce this story's other main character. WTF ROB REFSNYDER MENTIONED IN REACHER AND THEY CALLED HIM A MIDDLE INFIELDER 😭😭😭 — Red Sox Enjoyer (@redsox_enjoyer) February 22, 2025 'In this case,' said Scott Sullivan, a 'Reacher' executive producer who wrote the episode, 'this is a scene where Reacher meets his partner for the season, and we wanted to show how she's as sharp as him and ahead of him in every way.' By calling an outfielder a middle infielder? 'In my defense …' Sullivan said. But, again, we'll get to that. 'Reacher' is based on a series of books by British author Lee Child. The main character is Jack Reacher, a decorated U.S. Army military police officer — seriously, you should see this dude's arms — who lives as a transient, going from place to place, inevitably finding trouble, then using his brain and his biceps to outwit and outhit the bad guys. Advertisement In the books, it's established that Reacher likes to use the names of former Yankees infielders when he needs an alias. Season three of the show is set in New England, and so the show's writers wanted the name of a Yankees second baseman who also played for the Red Sox, meaning the show's Boston-accented federal investigator, named Duffy, would recognize the name to call out the imposter. Duffy's sports knowledge is a recurring attribute. In a later episode, Duffy changes the password on a bad guy's computer and chooses Nomar-4-Eva. 'There are a lot of names we could have used,' Sullivan said. 'But nothing sounds better in a Boston accent than Nomar.' Nomar Garciaparra, though, never played for the Yankees, and for Duffy's introduction, the writers needed a Red Sox player who'd also worn pinstripes. Showrunner Nick Santora is a huge Yankees fan, and Sullivan's pretty sure it was Santora who came up with Refsnyder. At the very least, it wasn't Sullivan himself. 'That came out of the (writers') room,' he said. Sullivan, 45, moved to Los Angeles 15 years ago, but he grew up in Kentucky as a Chicago Cubs fan. Any survey of his past television work, he said, would reveal characters named after the Cubs of his youth: Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Mark Grace. Even now, Sullivan said, when the 'Reacher' writers need a random last name, they'll sometimes go around the room picking a city, a sport and a year. They'll check the corresponding roster to find a name that fits. But Refsnyder wasn't random. He fit the source material, and he fit the scene. Early in his career, Refsnyder spent three seasons as a part-time Yankees second baseman. Since 2022, he's solidified himself as a Red Sox outfielder. And that timing matters because the season three premiere of 'Reacher' was written in 2022. At that point, Refsnyder hadn't played second base in a while — most recently, one Triple-A game in 2019 — but there also wasn't a ton of evidence that he was going to stick as a lefty-mashing outfielder. Advertisement 'I wrote the line where Duffy says, 'You don't look like a middle infielder to me,'' Sullivan said. 'So, it's on me that he's playing outfield now. But, in my defense, at the time, I think he was still playing second base.' Not really, but close enough. Refsnyder, of course, had no idea any of this was happening. While he was experiencing the best seasons of his career, a bunch of Hollywood writers were putting his name into a script and an actress in Toronto was saying his name on camera. Long after the third season of 'Reacher' was written, filmed, and ultimately delayed by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, it finally premiered on February 20. That's when friends from all the way back in high school began reaching out, asking Refsnyder all of the questions you ask when a guy you've known since the eighth grade was just mentioned on television. 'I hate attention,' Refsnyder said. 'My wife and I are like, 'Oh no! Please make it stop!'' Refsnyder had never seen an episode of 'Reacher.' Except, well — wait — maybe he did. 'I watched the first season,' Refsnyder said, then he paused. 'Oh, no I didn't. Was John Krasinski in the first season?' That was 'Jack Ryan.' 'I can't watch adult programming ever,' Refsnyder said, shaking his head at the reality of 'Bluey' and 'Blippi' and life with small children. Away from his family this spring training, Refsnyder's finally watching 'Severance' (three years after everyone else). As for 'Reacher,' Refsnyder still can't believe the show picked him — of all the obscure Yankees second basemen — to serve as the alias for a fictional vigilante. 'Choose Dustin Ackley or something!' he said. Told of Refsnyder's mostly tongue-in-cheek reaction, Sullivan cracked up laughing. Dustin Ackley. What a perfect name to pluck out of thin air. 'That's the best line!' Sullivan said. 'When he's finished playing, he can come out here and write.' (Top photos of Alan Ritchson and Rob Refsnyder: Peru Williams / Variety via Getty Images; Maddie Malhotra / Boston Red Sox / Getty Images)
