The Rangers and Red Sox played a meaningless game in Arlington yesterday afternoon and yet it somehow devolved into a ridiculous beef.
Texas ace Mike Minor started the game nine strikeouts shy of 200 for the year. With the Rangers out of the playoff hunt, Minor’s only goal for the game was getting to the 200 K plateau and manager Chris Woodward was willing to let him do anything to get there. The Red Sox, meanwhile, did everything they could to stop it.
Minor had eight strikeouts through seven innings, so when he came out to start the eighth having already thrown 117 pitches the Red Sox were wise to what was happening.