Beckett Leaves With Back Spasm, Booed By Fenway Fans
BOSTON (CBS) - Red Sox starter Josh Beckett had to leave Boston's 4-1 win over the Detroit Tigers in the third inning Tuesday night because of back spasms.
"Locked up on me," Beckett said the game. "I've had this before. It's been worse."
"The mound was a bit sloppy," said Beckett. "I think everybody was having trouble with it. You don't see Verlander walk that many guys. It just wasn't in great shape. That's stuff we're paid to deal with."
Beckett On Injury, Crowd Reaction:
Podcast
Beckett's back last hampered him in 2010 when he slipped on a wet Yankee Stadium mound, causing him to miss over two months. But Beckett is confident this time his back ailment won't cause him to miss much time.
"It was just the last few pitches, four or five pitches out of the stretch," said Beckett. "In New York it was kind of one of those deals where I felt it on one pitch. This wasn't as severe. Like I said, it kept getting worse and I couldn't throw a strike."
Beckett retired the games first eight batters with ease. He struck out Jhonny Peralta for his final out of the night. But Omar Infante reached on an infield single, Beckett grazed Austin Jackson with a pitch, and then walked the next two batters to give Detroit a 1-0 lead.
Following the bases loaded walk, Beckett called for the trainers and eventually walked off the field to a sea of boos from the Fenway Park crowd.
"You always notice," he said of the crowd's reaction, not wanting to further elaborate. "It is what it is."
Manager Bobby Valentine said those fans will likely regret their reaction to an injured player walking off the field.
"I don't think he deserved a boo at all," said Valentine. "Those who were booing will probably take it back today when they figure out what the situation was."
"He looked terrific out there, obviously, for the first eight hitters," said Valentine. "He was throwing out of the windup, in tough conditions in the rain, and when he got out of the windup the footing wasn't the same and his back spasmed up a little. Right now, he's got the aftermath of a back spasm. We'll take it day by day and we'll see how he feels tomorrow."
