The Bad: Pablo Sandoval’s first start of ’16
I want to feel a little bad for Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval, but I just can’t, as he’s starting to waste away his career that could have been more successful, at least his time in Boston, which is entering year two.
The “bad” part of the day for this Sandoval came when during his first at-bat of the game, he swung and missed on a knuckleball thrown by R.A. Dickey, but in the process of the swing and the miss, his belt came loose. Now, here is where it got interesting … he had trouble fixing the belt, and since weight issues have been the talk for the third baseman this offseason, it just added more fuel to the fire when he struggled to get the belt properly functioning like a belt should.
On a positive note for Sandoval, he did make a nice play on the ball just before he made his throwing error, but following the game, it was reported Sandoval “declined to talk to the media.”
For the day, Sandoval had a day he’d like to forget as he was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts (he did have one walk), and in the second inning, he committed a throwing error as he played for current full-time starter Travis Shaw, who took a turn at first base in the 8-4 win by the Red Sox over the Blue Jays.
Since Sandoval has joined the Red Sox, he doesn’t seem like the same player who was known as “Kung Fu Panda,” winning World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants. He’s far from being that player, and the downfall has been tough to watch.
The good part for Sandoval is his next start can’t get much worse.
Next: The Ugly: 'Rocky Mountain Low' for pitching