DETROIT — Jackie Bradley Jr. refused to knock on wood. Said he didn’t need to. He’d just crashed into a wall, fallen down while running the bases, and — perhaps most troubling — coughed into his shirt while standing in the middle of a Red Sox clubhouse overrun by the flu.
“I’m built like Secretariat,” Bradley insisted. “It’s all good.”
It was a surprising show of confidence given all that had just happened. In a punchless 4-1 loss to the Tigers yesterday, Bradley had been one of the Red Sox’ only high points. He’d driven in their only run and made two terrific running catches in center field.