An Error On MLB's Website Led To Some Red Sox Number Drama With Martin Perez, Jason Varitek
BOSTON (CBS) -- Red Sox pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers on Wednesday, and pitcher Martin Perez will be wearing the No. 54 jersey that he donned for Boston last season. But an error on MLB.com led to some internet drama over Perez's digits on Tuesday.
It all began late in the afternoon when the @RedSoxStats Twitter account pointed out that Perez was switching to No. 33 for the upcoming season -- according to MLB.com. It was the number that Perez wore during his time with the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins, but one that holds a pretty special meaning in Boston.
That was Jason Varitek's number, and no one has worn it on the back of their Red Sox jersey since "The Captain" retired in 2011. As expected, Perez's number change led to a pretty big kerfuffle online.
It led to Varitek's wife, Catherine, wondering what the fudge was going on (only she didn't say fudge) on Twitter. When the outrage got back to Perez, he made it clear that he had no intention of switching to No. 33 this season, and that those digits belong to Tek, who is now a game planning coordinator for the Red Sox.
It was all fixed within a matter of hours, and Perez is back to be listed as No. 54 on the Red Sox roster. It likely wasn't very fun to have Red Sox Nation going after him for a mistake that he had no hand in, but at least it appears that Perez will be getting a few beverages out of the ordeal.
It's nice to see that some things can still have a happy ending -- even in the Twitterverse.
Perez can now focus on having a good 2021 season in the Boston rotation. The lefty went 3-5 with a 4.50 ERA in his 12 starts for the Red Sox in 2020.
