When his father looked good in batting practice, Eduardo and his brother Victor would call their mom, Juana, and tell her to come to the game because he was going to go deep.
“I loved it in Boston,” Eduardo Pérez said. “We had a huge pool where we lived and we’d go to the ballpark with my dad early. I loved our time there. We made lifelong friends.”
Manager Ralph Houk allowed the players to bring their sons in the clubhouse — but only after wins. Pérez has vivid memories of Carl Yastrzemski calling him over one day and handing him a new NFL football in a Star Market paper bag.
“He said, ‘Here you go. This is for you,’ ” Pérez said. “I had no idea what to do with it.”
Pérez regards his father’s old teammates as uncles. Johnny Bench, Dave Concepción, Pete Rose, and others will call him and offer their thoughts about comments he makes on ESPN or their insights on the game in general.
But when he was younger, Pérez didn’t see baseball as a career.
“I saw the players as bigger than life. I never thought I’d be that big,” he said. “I played a lot more basketball. I only played baseball in the summer when I went to big league ballparks.”
Pérez grew to 6 feet 4 inches, played at Florida State, and was a first-round pick in 1991. He went on to play parts of 13 major league seasons as a first baseman and outfielder.
His post-playing career started with ESPN in 2006. Pérez then managed in the Puerto Rican winter league, worked in the Cleveland front office, was hitting coach of the Marlins from 2011-12, and a coach with the Astros from 2013-14 before returning to the media side.
As the bilingual son of Cuban parents who grew up in Puerto Rico after being born in Cincinnati, rare is the person the 53-year-old Pérez can’t relate to on a personal level in some way.
“It’s interesting the dynamic that I have. I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” he said. “Baseball’s been very good to our family and I respect that.
“I am fortunate that I’m still able to make a living being a part of the game. I don’t dismiss any [possibilities]. I don’t think there’s a job that’s above or beneath me.”
Pérez also touched on these subjects:
MLB’s rules changes: “I’ve seen the players make the adjustments. We’re learning every day about little things. I definitely think it’s a better game. There’s more action … At the end of the year we’re going to say, ‘Wow, we used to have four-hour games?’ ”
His goals as an analyst: “It’s not just the hitting I look at. I see it as a manager and a coach. Is the defense in the right position? I want to see the strategy of how the managers use the bullpen. To me that is what is interesting, why did a play happen or not happen?
“I’ve told players, ‘I won’t get on you if you make an error.’ But mental mistakes at this level cannot happen and if I don’t say that I’m not doing my job.”
On the Red Sox: “Adam Duvall’s injury hurt them offensively. [Rafael] Devers has been phenomenal offensively. Inconsistency at shortstop and a lot of fundamental stuff where they haven’t been the best.
“It has to hurt when they see what [Nate] Eovaldi is doing and what [Michael] Wacha is doing in San Diego. You look at all the guys who went somewhere else and dominated.”
Talking baseball with his father: “He doesn’t miss a game. He has one on the TV and another on his iPad. He pays attention. If I say something wrong, he’s on me for it. He loves the game.”
ROSTER RE-DO?
Pieces don’t fit for the Red Sox
The Red Sox roster doesn’t mesh well. It’s likely too late to salvage this season, but some changes would help.
Kiké Hernández doesn’t seem to have a role other than occasionally playing center field, given his throwing issues at shortstop. Why not make him the second baseman?
Jarren Duran, 26, should be playing regularly to determine whether he is actually part of the future or just a guy. That could require trading Adam Duvall or playing him at first base.
At 38, Justin Turner should be the DH and not the regular first baseman. He played one inning at first base from 2016-22.
Triston Casas has been the worst defensive first baseman in the game based on defensive runs saved, the metric most referenced by manager Alex Cora.
At 23, Casas seems like a good candidate to return to Triple A, play every day, and smooth out the rough edges in his game. But he remains on the roster in a poorly defined bench role.
Bobby Dalbec, who has a 1.058 OPS in Triple A, has earned another chance.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox don’t really have a shortstop as Trevor Story remains in rehab mode. Now fringe big leaguers Yu Chang and Pablo Reyes are crucial players with Story not expected back until August.
At 37 and signed to a one-year contract, Corey Kluber has a 6.84 ERA and is now a low-leverage reliever. Wouldn’t that spot be better used by somebody such as Chris Murphy?
A few other observations on the Red Sox:
▪ Chris Martin is quietly having a strong season. The 37-year-old setup man allowed three earned runs on nine hits and struck out 16 over 13⅔ innings in his first 14 outings after a 17-day stay on the injured list with a sore shoulder.
“It seems like my shoulder always gives me trouble early,” Martin said. “Sometimes I pitch through it because you don’t want to go on the IL. But the rest and some treatment made a difference.”
A two-year contract made that easier to take. Martin has played professionally for 14 years and understands he is one of those players who always has to prove himself.
His career has included independent ball, time with seven major league organizations, and two seasons in Japan. He was a Red Sox prospect from 2011-13 before being traded to the Rockies.
▪ Stanford used senior lefthander Quinn Mathews for nine innings and 156 pitches to beat Texas in a NCAA Super Regional game last Sunday.
No major league pitcher has thrown that many pitches since Tim Wakefield threw 169 against the Brewers on June 5, 1997. He went 8⅔ innings in a 2-1 victory. With two runners on, manager Jimy Williams went to Kerry Lacy for his first career save.
THEY’RE OUT
Athletics turn on their fan base
A fan group in Oakland organized a “reverse boycott” of Tuesday’s home game against the Rays and drew a crowd of 27,759, the largest of the season.
The atmosphere at Oakland Coliseum was akin to a playoff game and the Athletics beat the Rays for their seventh consecutive victory.
The event included giving away green T-shirts urging owner John Fisher to sell the team so it could remain in Oakland. There was live music and a huge tailgate party before the game.
A day later, the Nevada Legislature approved its portion of the funding for a $1.5 billion ballpark in Las Vegas. Governor Joe Lombardo signed off on Thursday.
Now the Athletics’ relocation requires only approval from the MLB owners. That is not expected to be an issue, although it will take some time to review the team’s application and vote.
The team released a statement thanking the politicians without making any reference to its 56 years in Oakland. So much for the passionate fans.
But it’s also not a coincidence the NFL Raiders and NBA Warriors left Oakland after being unable to make stadium deals. The Athletics proposed several plans, none that gained much traction.
MLB could have some problems. Oakland’s lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season with the new ballpark tentatively scheduled to open in 2027.
The Athletics could play the 2025 and ‘26 seasons at their 10,000-seat Triple A park in Las Vegas or negotiate a short-term lease to stay at the decrepit Coliseum.
It’s also uncertain how the sport will benefit by moving a team into a smaller media market and a 30,000-seat stadium, the smallest in the game. Or by the continued ownership of Fisher, who has run a once-thriving organization into the ground.
The Athletics would be the first team to relocate since the Expos left Montreal and became the Nationals in 2005. Before that you have to go back to 1972, when the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers when Ted Williams was their manager.
With the Athletics all but officially in Vegas, MLB will turn its attention to the Rays getting a new stadium deal before considering expansion.
ETC.
Bard reflects on Fenway return
Daniel Bard’s story is by now a familiar one to most baseball fans.
An often-dominant setup man for the Red Sox from 2009-11, Bard became a starter in 2012 and within a few months lost his ability to throw strikes.
He dropped into the minors in 2013, quit the game in 2017, then unexpectedly returned in 2020 and has since been a valuable reliever for the Rockies.
There was a question long left unanswered: Was it becoming a starter that led to his issues?
“That wasn’t it,” said Bard, now 37. “I was already dealing with stuff when I showed up in spring training [in 2012]. I was dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome. My velo was way down. My body wasn’t working right. My confidence was shot. Starting was a piece of it but a very little piece.”
Bard also changed his delivery at the time, hoping to become more efficient.
“It really didn’t need much changing,” he said. “I had good intentions to become more efficient but it just wasn’t right for me.”
Over the years, some fans have blamed Sox manager Bobby Valentine for making Bard a starter. But it was Bard’s idea in conjunction with the front office at the time.
“I asked them to do it,” Bard said. “Hindsight is 20-20. I had an OK spring, but when we lost Andrew Bailey [to a thumb injury] I probably should have told them I’d go back to the bullpen and close. Maybe that would have helped me.”
Bard pitched his last game at Fenway Park for the Red Sox on April 27, 2013. He returned on Monday with the Rockies and worked a scoreless inning.
Before throwing his first pitch at Fenway in 10-plus years, Bard took the time to look around and take it all in.
“It was pretty cool,” he said. “I definitely enjoyed it. It was awesome.”
Bard’s wife, Adair, and their three children attended the series. He pitched two scoreless innings and picked up two wins.
It was the first time in his career Bard won games on successive days, a fitting coda to his experience with the Sox.
The Marlins are an increasingly interesting team. Luis Arraez is hitting .378 and 20-year-old righthander Eury Pérez is 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA in his first seven starts. He was promoted from Double A. The Marlins started 38-31, carried by their pitching … MLB owners discussed the idea of proposing a salary cap during their meetings in New York last week. The collective bargaining agreement runs through 2026, so it’s more philosophical than anything else at this point. The Players Association has said repeatedly it would never agree to a cap … The Giants are using UConn product Reggie Crawford as a designated hitter and starting pitcher for Single A San Jose. He was 4 for 16 with two doubles and a homer in his first eight games as a DH and allowed five runs over 7⅓ innings in his first four starts with 13 strikeouts and no walks. Crawford had Tommy John surgery in the fall of 2021 and missed the 2022 season. The lefthander was still the 30th overall pick of the draft and made his minor league debut on May 24. Crawford pitched only 20⅓ innings during his college years, including summer leagues, but touches 97 with his fastball and has command of a slider. He’s also a power hitter with speed. Crawford hit 14 homers in 262 at-bats with the Huskies … MLB’s six-day Draft Combine starts Monday at Chase Field in Phoenix. The 323 players who accepted invitations include Harvard righthanders Chris Clark and Jay Driver (Wellesley), Maine second baseman Quinn McDaniel, Boston College outfielder Travis Honeyman, and Eagles first baseman Joe Vetrano … Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto became the 17th catcher to hit for the cycle when he accomplished the feat on Monday. He joined Carlton Fisk (1984 with the White Sox) and Rich Gedman (1985) on the list. Bet you didn’t know Geddy had 12 career triples. Slow-footed Bengie Molina completed a remarkable cycle at Fenway Park in 2010 when he tripled to center field in the eighth inning … Orioles rookie infielder Gunnar Henderson hit a 462-foot home run to right field at Camden Yards last Sunday off Kansas City righthander Jackson Kovar. According to the Orioles, the shot was the longest onto Eutaw Street during a game. Ken Griffey Jr. set the record with a 465-foot drive that hit the warehouse on the fly during the 1993 Home Run Derby. The Orioles mark home runs that hit the street with small plaques … D’Angelo Ortiz, who has a broken hamate bone, is not playing with the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod Baseball League … It was mentioned in this space last week that Javar Williams, a center fielder from New Bedford and Tabor Academy, was headed to Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons also landed Antonio Morales, a center fielder and middle infielder from Norfolk and Roxbury Latin. Thanks to loyal reader Jay Kannally for the information … Emerson College will host a free exhibit from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum from June 19-Aug. 4 at 118 Boylston Street in Boston. “Barrier Breakers: From Jackie to Pumpsie” shares the stories of players who integrated MLB teams including Pumpsie Green with the Red Sox in 1959. It will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. … Happy Birthday to Tom McCarthy, who is 62. The hard-throwing righthander from Plymouth Carver High was drafted by the Red Sox in 1979 and made his major league debut in 1985. He appeared in three games before being traded to the Mets after the season as part of an eight-player deal. McCarthy went on to make 37 appearances for the White Sox from 1988-89. He pitched professionally until 1995 and had a 3.61 ERA in the majors.
Peter Abraham can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.