The Boston Red Sox’s season ended with more than a playoff loss. Willson Contreras also left reporters with a pointed message about the organization’s approach to decision-making after Boston’s elimination by the New York Yankees.
Contreras was asked whether manager Chad Tracy pulled Sonny Gray too early during Wednesday’s 9-2 loss in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series. Instead of answering directly, the veteran first baseman twice made a motion suggesting he was keeping his lips sealed.
The moment, shared by Boston Red Sox reporter Chris Cotillo, came as the club faced questions about its reliance on data and its handling of experienced players.
Contreras later expanded on his frustration with Boston’s approach. He argued that talent and analytics alone are not enough to win games, emphasizing the importance of experience and veteran leadership.
“It’s not enough when you have talent, or you have data, or you have computers telling you what to do, because this is baseball,” Contreras said, according to postgame reports. “The data is here to help us, but at the end of the day, you’re going to need experience and veteran guys to win games.”
Gray’s removal provided the immediate backdrop for those comments. The right-hander had allowed one run through 4 2/3 innings and thrown only 70 pitches when Tracy replaced him with Erik Miller.
Gray had runners on the corners with two outs when the pitching change came. Miller then allowed an inherited runner to score, and Boston’s bullpen struggled again later in the game.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Red Sox entered the postseason with expectations of making a deeper run, but the Yankees swept the two-game series by a combined 18-2 score.
Contreras’ comments add another layer to the questions facing Boston’s leadership this offseason. The team must now evaluate its postseason decisions and determine how its analytical approach fits with the judgment of its veteran players.
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