With Wilson Contreras on third base in the sixth inning of a 3-3 game against the Athletics, Duran sent a fly ball 245 feet to left field and Tyler Soderstrom, who has five assists this season and one of the strongest arms in the game.<\/p>\n
Contreras wisely held at third base as the throw came in. He would have been out by 10 feet otherwise.<\/p>\n
Duran yelled out an obscenity after failing to drive in the run. Then he motioned toward third base and shouted, \u201cWhat the [expletive]?\u201d before slamming a tablet down.<\/p>\n
Get Starting Point<\/p>\n
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/p>\n
Whether that invective was directed at Contreras or third base coach Chad Epperson doesn\u2019t matter. Duran was being a bad teammate.<\/p>\n
xxxxx<\/p>\n
Red Sox radio announcer Will Flemming called it unacceptable on the air, as did his partner, Lenny DiNardo.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that? That is ridiculous,\u201d Flemming said. \u201cThat is such a tired act.\u201d<\/p>\n
The inning ended, and Duran went back out to left field.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m frankly surprised he\u2019s still in the game,\u201d Flemming said.<\/p>\n
It shouldn\u2019t be a surprise. Had Andruw Monasterio or Anthony Seigler done that, they would have been stapled to the bench. But Duran gets a pass because of his well-chronicled mental health issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n Interim manager Chad Tracy went with the \u201cnothing to see here\u201d defense after the Sox won the game, 5-4<\/a>, and repeated that on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe group is in great spirits,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything is in a really good spot. There\u2019s more to that than maybe what\u2019s getting put out there, which I won\u2019t discuss.\u201d<\/p>\n Tracy is right to take that approach. He has been a players-first manager since taking over in April, and it has served him well. But video doesn\u2019t lie. Duran was back in the lineup, and Tracy said he didn\u2019t consider otherwise.<\/p>\n If Thursday wasn\u2019t crossing the line, where is that line? <\/p>\n Duran told reporters on Thursday that this latest incident wasn\u2019t their business.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody needs to know. That\u2019s something between us and the team that we know what it\u2019s about,\u201d he said. \u201cSo that doesn\u2019t really matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Sure thing. Let\u2019s just pretend it didn\u2019t happen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Duran turns 30 next month and made his debut with the Sox midway through the 2021 season. Only Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock, and Connor Wong have been on the roster longer.<\/p>\n That seniority brings with it a responsibility to set the right example. Acting selfishly in the heat of a pennant race is as far away from that as it gets.<\/p>\n Think about everything that Contreras has gone through this season \u2014 the swings of emotion after the earthquakes in his native Venezuela<\/a>, followed by the brawl with the Nationals<\/a>, then his late addition to the All-Star Game<\/a>. Now he has a guy with a .589 OPS showing him up in public?<\/p>\n That\u2019s the other part of this. Duran has been one of the worst hitters in the game this season<\/a>. He has the lowest batting average and second-lowest OPS among qualified hitters. His improved play in left field and occasional stolen base are the only positives Duran has added to the roster.<\/p>\n By bWAR, Duran has been as valuable to the Sox as Jahmai Jones, who has appeared in eight games. They\u2019re both at 0.3.<\/p>\n The attention-seeking public displays of anger are nothing new, too. In April, Duran made an obscene gesture towards a fan<\/a> at Target Field.<\/p>\n \u201cSomebody just told me to kill myself,\u201d Duran said after the game. \u201cI\u2019m used to it at this point. [Things] happen. I\u2019m gonna flip somebody off if they say something to me.\u201d<\/p>\n The Twins investigated the incident, interviewing fans seated in the area, and found no evidence that it happened. I was told Major League Baseball came to the same conclusion and ultimately fined Duran for his actions.<\/p>\n The Sox had a window to trade Duran after last season and didn\u2019t take advantage of it. They need him for now, if only for his defense, with Roman Anthony on the injured list.<\/p>\n