David Price Wanted 'Revenge' On Cold Weather After Nightmare Outing In 2015
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Last time David Price took the mound in wintry temperatures, he gave up a career-worst eight earned runs in just 2.1 innings against the New York Yankees. The temperatures dipped below 30, the Yankees swathed themselves in Under-Armour and face protectors, and the ball jumped off the Yankees' bats for pitch after pitch from Price.
On Monday, Price was set to start the first game of the season for his new team, the Boston Red Sox, but the snow proved too heavy and the winds too powerful for baseball. While Price acknowledged that it was the right thing to do to call the game in the kind of weather that can increase the risk of causing or aggravating injuries, he admitted he really wanted another crack at pitching in the snow after a start in which he, as he described, "gave up more runs than I got outs."
"I've pitched in the snow before and it didn't go as I would have liked it to," said Price, "so I definitely wanted revenge in that weather, but I guess it will have to wait for another day."
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Price has earned something of a reputation for over-thinking things and putting too much pressure on himself, especially after his infamous "duck" comments after a subpar outing in the 2015 playoffs. Price is hard on himself after bad outings, and he was that day against the Yankees, when he stayed in the dugout after being yanked instead of retreating to the clubhouse.
"You throw the ball as bad as I did and you give up more runs than you get outs, you don't deserve to come up here," he said after the game. "That's why I stayed out there."
Price may be too hard on himself when things don't go well, but it's born of his passion to pitch as well as he can and deliver for his teammates. He also wants redemption or "revenge" whenever the opportunity presents itself, as it did Monday. Price may falter at some point in 2016 and begin to face the feet-on-coals feel of a Red Sox postgame press conference after a loss, but the silver lining is that he will face it. Price may seem afraid to fail, but he's not afraid to accept it when he does.
While revenge would have been a sweet story to start Price's Red Sox career, he may have been better off not risking another shaky outing. If and when that happens, he will begin to feel the relentless heat of the notoriously hypercritical Boston sports media. But, fortunately for Price, that will also have to wait for another day. Hopefully, for the sake of everyone involved, it can wait another seven years.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
