Ceddanne Rafaela shouldered the blame for two costly baserunning errors that contributed to the Boston Red Sox's 1-0 loss against the New York Yankees on Friday. The outfielder was thrown out at home plate in the seventh inning attempting to score on a fly ball, a play where he believes he misread the situation.
Interim manager Chad Tracy stated that third base coach Chad Epperson had been signaling Rafaela to hold at third on Willson Contreras' fly ball to left field. Tracy emphasized the importance of tagging up, especially with the team having gone 15 innings without scoring and facing a deficit.
"It’s been a bit since we’ve scored. It’s like, ‘How many opportunities are you going to get?’ So, you’ve got to go there," Tracy said. "And (when) you have a really good base runner in Rafa and speed at third, you’re going to take your shot."
Rafaela, however, contradicted the account, stating Epperson instructed him not to advance. "That’s on me," Rafaela said. "Not on him. That’s on me." He acknowledged that he challenged Cody Bellinger's throw, which was measured at 99.7 mph, and admitted he wasn't surprised to be thrown out, recognizing Bellinger's strong and accurate arm.
This was Rafaela's second baserunning misstep of the game. In the fifth inning, he lingered too long off first base after Wilyer Abreu lined out for the second out. This allowed the Yankees to double him off first, ending another Boston scoring threat.
"It’s a bad read on me. It was really bad," Rafaela said of the earlier play, adding "that can’t happen." He expressed a desire to move past the mistakes as the Red Sox prepared for a doubleheader against the Yankees on Saturday. "I make some dumb decisions trying to be over-aggressive and those things happen," he said. "Now, just flush it and show up tomorrow."
The loss dropped the Red Sox further into a tight American League Wild Card race.