Rick Porcello Got Feisty With John Farrell In The Red Sox Dugout [VIDEO]
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- With the lack of mental toughness we've seen in the last couple of years with Red Sox starters, it was amazing to see Rick Porcello demand the ball for the eighth inning Wednesday night against the Seattle Mariners.
Watch below as Slick Rick (I'm going with that, but you can call him "Pretty Ricky" too if you want) tells Farrell something along the lines of "I'm going for the complete game," seemingly after Mr. Robot tried to tell him he was pulling him from the mound.
Tip of the cap to NESN for capturing this great moment and Jared Carrabis of Barstool Sports for posting a Vine of it.
Unfortunately, the Red Sox contributed practically nothing on offense, so Porcello's otherwise strong outing ended up handing him just his third loss of the season as the Red Sox fell 3-1. But it was a good look for his sake to not only assert himself but back up his confidence and mental toughness by pitching a scoreless eighth inning.
The Red Sox have needed a pitcher with this kind of mentality since the departure of Jon Lester. David Price, while getting paid like an ace, has not pitched like one over the balance of the season, and certainly has not acted like one. You may argue that Porcello is not an ace in the truest sense of the word, but he has an ace's mentality and at 14-3 he's certainly compiled the win-loss record of a top-of-the-rotation guy. He's been the team's most consistent starter this season; now, he's established himself as the toughest.
Carrabis has long been one of Price's biggest supporters, but he's been on the Porcello train for a while now too. It's pretty clear that, since getting back to full strength, Porcello has been a different pitcher.
Score one for Ben Cherington? Porcello's $20 million salary looks like a bargain next to Price's $30 million, especially if he can get to 20 wins and keep his ERA below 3.50.
Most of all, Porcello appears to be showing the cajones the Red Sox have lacked at the front of the rotation for two years now. It's about time the Sox got that kind of guy in the rotation; Slick Rick is that guy.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
