Bases Covered is a daily roundup of the most interesting stories in baseball.
Not a bad week for No. 45
The Red Sox retired Pedro Martinez’s number on Tuesday, just days after the 43-year-old was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Amidst cheers from the crowd at Fenway Park, Martinez threw out the ceremonial first pitch to former Boston catcher Jason Varitek.
Elsewhere in the big leagues, Paul Pierce wasn’t so lucky: The NBA veteran who recently signed with the Clippers was vigorously booed when he bounced the ceremonial pitch he threw to open the night at Dodger Stadium.
Banned (again)
Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia has received a 162-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. This marks the second time that Mejia has tested positive this season: The 25-year-old was suspended in April for 80 games and only just returned to the bigs on July 7.
In better news for Mets fans, David Wright worked out at Citi Field for the first time in months. The third baseman, who hasn’t made a major-league appearance since April 14, could play in a minor-league game as early as next week.
Close to perfect
In other Mets news, rookie Noah Syndergaard flirted with a perfect game on Tuesday versus the Padres. He lost that bid in the seventh inning when Will Venable hit a leadoff single. Still, the 22-year-old pitcher nicknamed “Thor” earned the win as his team defeated San Diego 4–0.
“I’ve talked to my agent”
Nationals right-hander Drew Storen addressed news that his team had acquired closer Jonathan Papelbon on Tuesday, saying only that he’d spoken to GM Mike Rizzo and to his agent. “We’ve had some ongoing discussions,” said the 27-year-old, who will lose his closer role to Papelbon. “Until those have progressed, I’m just going to leave it at that. No comment for now. But as the situation goes, I’ll keep you guys posted.”
Betts’s (almost) catch
Boston’s Mookie Betts was responsible for a very weird home run on Tuesday. White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu hit the ball deep into centre field, and Betts leapt to make the catch. As Betts nabbed the ball, he tumbled over the wall and into the bullpen. Abreu was ruled out, but Chicago challenged the call—and they won. The umpires decided that Betts didn’t complete the catch, losing control of the ball on his way over the wall, and Abreu’s hit became a home run.
The worst part of Betts’s near-catch? The 22-year-old exited the game with concussion-like symptoms. “He sat down, went through some field tests right there, and it was immediate to get him off the field and out of the game,” said Red Sox manager John Farrell after the game.
