Red Sox CF Ceddanne Rafaela looked unhappy with teammate Trevor Story after a play at second base against the Astros in the top of the fourth on Saturday night. With a 1-0 lead and a runner on base, Jose Altuve smashed the ball to center field on the payoff pitch. Rafaela fielded the ball off the wall and threw to second in hopes of tagging out Altuve.
While Story cleanly fielded the ball on a hop at second base, he made little effort to tag out the Venezuelan as Altuve slid in to complete a double. Rafaela looked visibly unhappy with Story’s lack of effort on the play, prompting mixed reactions from Red Sox fans, with some calling out Story while others sided with Rafaela’s reaction.
“Still a brutal look by Rafaela. Credit for the play, strong throw, and effort, but Story didn’t have a play, and the throw, if Story is straddling the bag, doesn’t get there for a play. Immature reaction,” one fan commented.
“Trevor Story is garbage,” another fan commented.
“He’s annoyed because the throw was fielded four feet behind the bag. Story eliminated the chance for a bang-bang play at the bag. Hope this helps the smooth brain folks. This is little league level s—,” yet another fan commented.
Fans continued their mixed reactions to the play on X, with some exclaiming that Story should have at least tried making the play even if it seemed like a difficult task in real time.
“Yeah, there was a play there. Most likely would’ve been safe, but don’t know if you don’t try,” one fan commented.
“If you ever played the game IRL, you’d know he’s pissed because Story wasn’t on the bag. He would’ve tagged him out, but he’s off the bag assuming the throw would be short,” another fan commented.
“Worst thing you could do to your teammate,” yet another fan commented.
Ceddanne Rafaela and Trevor Story Are Both Struggling at the Plate This Season
The Red Sox are 13-20 for the season, sitting at the bottom of the AL East division, seven games off .500 winning percentage. There have been multiple changes to the coaching staff recently, including the surprise firing of manager Alex Cora and five other senior members of the staff.
Chad Tracy is the interim manager under whom Boston won the series finale against the Orioles, but then lost the next series against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Rafaela and Story, who have a lot riding on their shoulders this season, especially after the managerial shakeup, have been largely inconsistent at the plate.
Story has a .206 batting average and .546 OPS so far in 126 at-bats, striking out a whopping 40 times at the plate. As for Rafaela, he has hit just one home run, with a batting average of .265 and an OPS of .711, while posting a high strikeout percentage this season.
The signs are troublesome for the ballclub, and some reliable players on the roster have to step up and lead the team in this difficult period. For now, the Red Sox will focus on winning the series finale against the Astros on Sunday and bounce back from their earlier loss in Toronto.
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