[crowd chattering indistinctly]
[Joe] Now we go to the fifth inning,
and Cam Booser is the next Red Sox pitcher.
He delivers to Bryson Stott.
Takes a strike over the inside edge.
Booser missed more than three years of time
with several injuries and accidents.
Working as a carpenter.
Came back, started throwing even harder than before the injuries.
The pitch. It's in there, strike three.
-[fans cheer] -[Joe] Got him on a sweeper away.
-One down. -[stadium organ music plays]
Every team has to rub around 16 dozen balls
every day for the game.
[Joe] Swing and a high pop fly, shallow right field.
-Refsnyder coming in. Westbrook out. -[Westbrook] I got it.
[Joe] And who's gonna get it? Westbrook does.
[Frank] When the balls come out of the factory, they're slippery.
So the mud is so that the pitcher can get a grip,
but at the same time, so that the hitter can see the ball.
[Joe] So two quick outs for Booser.
[Frank] You want to grip it because if they can't grip it right,
the ball might not spin the way they want, might not go the way they want.
[Joe] Swung on it. Hit in the air to left field.
Not all that deep.
Duran, where the grass and track meet,
now makes the catch at third round to retire the side.
-[Will] Booser, a perfect fifth. -[fans cheer]
[producer] Where do they get this mud?
I think this is… this comes from Kentucky.
[muttering indistinctly]
They used to call it Mississippi mud, so maybe it comes from Mississippi.
I'm not even sure.
-[commentator chattering on radio] -Yeah, I don't know.
["Dirty Water" by The Standells plays]
[man] My father always made sure that nobody knew where it was.
♪ I'm gonna tell you a story… ♪
[man] The reason we keep it secret
is to keep from curiosity-seekers trampling the area
because it's a protected area,
and when I leave, the only thing you see is my footprints.
The Rawlings Corporation tried to duplicate our mud.
Because they were selling the balls, they wanted to have the mud too.
[Will] Swing and a miss. He blew him away.
They got stuck with it. Their mud was nothing like the real mud.
The geology and the geography both decide that this is the right mud.
[Dave] Duran inching down that line.
A swing and a drive. That one hammered.
-Way out there, and gone! -[cheering]
[Cora] Hey! Hey!
[music continues]
♪ Oh, Boston, you're my home… ♪
[Dave] Red Sox, at the moment
one full game ahead for the third and final wild card spot
and have been just tremendous.
[Polino] The electricity when we have 36,000 in there
and all the traditions that we do here…
[crowd chanting in unison]
[Polino] …they're very unique, and you don't really see
around the country at other ballparks.
[Cora] You know, Fenway Park is small and old,
but it's Fenway Park.
♪ Boston, you're my home… ♪
[Cora] The history, the championships…
♪ Oh yeah… ♪
Sometimes I get chills just looking around at what's going on.
-[whistling] -[Cora] Yes, sir!
There's a blue-collar identification that a lot of Red Sox fans connect with.
It's the guy getting dirty, hustling, and running into walls.
[camera clatters]
[Will] And he's got it!
[Jim] I was ten years old the first time I loaded a bucket of mud.
You know, back when I was younger,
I was getting the mud, and I wasn't thinking twice about it.
-How are you feeling, all right? -[Jim] Yeah. Yeah, I'm good.
You know, as I got older,
every trip out to the mudhole would bring me back to baseball
and what was great about baseball.
-[Cora] Good game. -[Andrew] Hell yeah! Attaboy.
[Cora] We're in the middle of the hunt.
I'm very pleased with the way we're doing things.
People are believing in what we're doing.
And we know who we are.
♪ I love that dirty water… ♪
[Cora] I'm the manager of that team, and Fenway Park is my home.
♪ Boston, you're my home… ♪
Come on, kid! All right! Fuck yeah! Attaboy! Good job!
[muffled cheering, clamoring]
[soundscape fades out]
[commentator] The Red Sox taking on the Jays tonight. Sox have been on fire.
They've won four consecutive series.
They've also won ten of their last 12 games.
But I'll tell you, the one guy I would like to see get on a bit of a roll
is Brayan Bello.
Everybody was good in the rotation early.
Then there's been a gap where it's pretty much just been Tanner Houck
and consistently Tanner Houck.
You'd love to see Brayan Bello go on a little bit of a run.
Help him out, help out the bullpen.
[upbeat music playing over speakers]
-[man in Spanish] How's your daughter? -[Bello] Good.
-[man] Is she here? -[Bello] No. They denied her mom the visa.
Oh, yes, yes, yes.
It's a clown show over in the consulate.
[trainer] And does your mom live nearby?
-What? -[trainer] In the Dominican Republic?
-Your mom? -She lives in Puerto Rico.
Yeah. She… she doesn't want to go to the Dominican Republic now.
[trainer] I didn't know that.
Which part of Puerto Rico?
San Juan.
-[trainer] Oh, San Juan. -Yes.
I think Cora is from San Juan.
-San Juan? -[Bello] Yes.
[upbeat music continues over speakers]
-[music fades out] -[crowd murmuring]
[Will in English] Live from Fenway Park on another beautiful summery night.
We welcome you to another radio production of Boston Red Sox baseball.
And the Sox are flying high after a come-from-behind win last night.
-Dramatic fashion, seven to six. -[Cora] Come on!
[Will] Brayan Bello is on the mound for the Red Sox.
You know, he has not pitched that great against the Toronto Blue Jays.
That's something we're gonna be watching all night.
Can Bello keep it in the ballpark?
[low, suspenseful music plays]
Come on, Brayan. Come on, Brayan.
[Will] Bello's ready. He throws.
Line drive in the left, and that is a fair ball.
It'll go to the corner. There it is again.
The changeup that hung right there.
Bello. Big pitch here.
He delivers. Swing and ground ball to the right side. Valdez to his left.
He cannot make the play. It's into the outfield. Jays score a run.
And Toronto ties the game at two.
And there it is. Things kind of unraveling a little bit.
All right, Bello. Come on, man.
[Andrew] Don't slow down. Throw that fucking shit.
[Will] They've talked to him so much about keeping his emotions in check
in moments like these.
-Up above the zone. That's ball four. -Goddamn.
[Will] And the worst possible scenario.
The bases are loaded for Vlad Guerrero.
Guerrero against Bello.
Seven for 17 coming in with two home runs.
And he's on an incredible tear.
[commentator] He's got to be careful. Don't let him get extended.
Guerrero takes a ball. That was not close.
[Garrett] See right here? Now you go for the double play.
You'll concede a run here to get a double play.
At least I would.
What do you feel like, changeup? Sinker?
Sinker to him. If you throw a changeup, he's easier to scoop it.
[Will] Biggest pitches of the game right here in the third.
Bases loaded. Nobody out.
[suspenseful music continues]
Bello, into the wind.
He throws.
Swung on and ripped high, deep toward the triangle.
In right center field. Duran is back. He can't get it.
-This is gonna clear the bases. -[commentator] Bello just lost it here.
And again, this is unfortunately an ongoing discussion.
[coach 1] I just think it's a confidence thing.
That's one piece he had last year, like he had a gear when he got in trouble.
Now the gear is anxiety.
[Garrett] Yeah.
Get Weissert going first. Yeah.
[commentator] Red Sox starting to get action in the bullpen because it's just…
Can't keep out there.
[Will] 5-2, Toronto.
1-0 to Springer.
The pitch is high and deep into right field.
Duran back at the bullpen.
-He will leap, and he can't get it. -[fans groan]
[Will] It's a two-run homer on a slider to George Springer.
It's 7-2, Blue Jays.
-[somber music plays] -[man shouts]
[Will] And Bello has absolutely exploded here in the third.
-There you go. -[commentator] That's gonna do it.
[Will] That's one of the worst starts of Brayan Bello's young career.
And unfortunately, as has so often been the case this season,
one inning destroyed him.
[Andrew] I don't know what fixes his issue.
The four-seam doesn't fix it.
It's all righty, behind-in-the-count damage.
You know what I mean?
I don't know what fixes it.
[coach 2] Have they figured out his family's visa yet?
-[Andrew] I have no idea. -[coach 2] That's what I thought.
[Andrew] They having issues?
[coach 2] He hasn't been able to see his wife or kid all year.
-[Andrew] Oh fuck. -[tense, pensive music plays]
[music fades out]
[Bello in Spanish] Oh God.
[Dominican hip-hop music plays on stereo]
[Jean Carlos] You were a little turbulent.
[sucks teeth] That sinker didn't want to fall, not even the changeup.
[Jean Carlos] Fuck. That changeup ended up looking like a slider.
I don't know why.
[Jean Carlos] No, but then you grabbed it and…
What did you do differently?
-Nothing. -[Jean Carlos] So…
[Spanish-language music continues]
[Jean Carlos] You know better than anyone pitching is like that.
Some days they're on it. Some days they're not.
-[music halts] -What?
[Jean Carlos] You know better than anyone pitching is like that.
Some days they're on it. Some days they're not.
-[soundscape fades] -[somber, pensive music plays]
[mellow guitar music plays]
[Bello] I've been playing baseball for as long as I can remember.
When I was seven or eight years old, my father would give me Rawlings.
I played in leagues with the other little boys.
Then I went to the capital.
I stopped studying to focus more on baseball.
I got it in my head that I 100% needed to get to the big leagues
because I had to help my family.
[music continues]
[man] Preparing a young man in the Dominican Republic
in search of a contract is pretty difficult.
The majority of them have to be handed over
by their parents to specific trainers
so that they can develop them.
Shit. That's the aggression I want to see.
That's the aggression!
It was when I moved to the capital I started playing baseball for real.
It was there that I met Diofante
and the guys who pushed me hard in the right direction.
The elbow needs to be up here. You have it down here.
You're looking to make it easy.
But it's not easy. It's about doing it right.
Baseball players from the United States face less pressure.
They have more tools to train with.
They have gyms at their disposal.
Pull it that way.
Search for consistency.
But for us, it's a more precarious situation.
[thwacking]
The vast majority train on fields that aren't adequate for baseball.
Come on.
Move your arms. Move your arms.
Move your arms.
Here, the vast majority of my kids who train for baseball
don't go to school.
If they do go, it's just for one day.
Because the teams that come are looking for 12- or 13-year-olds.
They need them to sign by around 16.
By 17, they don't even look at them.
That situation has caused
what we are living through right now in baseball in the Dominican Republic.
But we deal with it, we do the work, and we are making good baseball players.
This youth here is Brayan Bello's cousin.
He's in great condition.
We hope that soon he can achieve his dream
of signing with a professional team.
And he applies himself well to his work.
Sometimes he rebels, but we're here to knock him back to earth.
We will keep working towards our goals of making dreams come true.
Me, I'm just an independent trainer.
"Small time," as they say.
But Brayan Bello came from my program.
[woman 1 in American-accented Spanish] Welcome to the Quisqueya stadium
and to the Dominican Republic.
-[Bello laughing] -[crowd cheering, whooping]
[woman 1 in English] The Boston Red Sox announced
that they signed right-handed pitcher Brayan Bello
to a six-year contract extension that spans the 2024 to 2029 seasons
with a club option for 2030.
[Bello in Spanish] I thank my whole family who have supported me.
I thank my pitching coaches who have always been with me.
I'd also like to thank all the managers and the owner of the team
for trusting me, and…
[in English] Let's go, Red Sox.
-[chuckles] -[crowd applauds]
-[applause fades] -[indistinct chatter]
[woman 2] Since I met him, he has been the same person.
Always humble, joyful, loving, and he loves enjoying life. [chuckles]
If the baby wakes up, because she wakes up a lot at night,
he says, "Keep sleeping. I'll take care of her. Don't worry."
He puts her to sleep and gives her milk, all of that.
He's an excellent father. He loves playing with her.
You like the camera, huh?
-[producer] Will you come to Boston? -[Anabely] God willing, yes.
It's a bit difficult since I've spent a whole season without seeing him.
But you handle it. When you love someone, you can wait that much and more.
Brayan, signing this contract in the country, one of this size,
does it take the pressure off? Are you more at ease?
No. No, uh…
This is a great leap, as I said,
but I still have a lot more to give to the team.
And I'm not satisfied yet with what I've given so far
or what I've won so far, not yet.
[uplifting, pensive music plays]
[firework screeches]
[music fades out]
[indistinct street chatter]
[Cora in English] Any thoughts about pushing Brayan back?
[Craig] Guess we could.
Well, if he's, like, still trying to pitch away from contact
or trying to remain too perfect, or like…
-Yeah. Yeah, yeah. -[Cora] Right. It's like…
the mindset is not the right one.
You know, like, he's pitching away from contact…
He's not confident enough. He's not… fighting the fight.
-That's a confidence thing for me. -We'll be fine.
[mimics swishing]
-[Craig] Good? -[Varitek] Yeah.
Yeah.
-[man] Alex Cora, how we doing this week? -Doing good. Doing good.
You guys have been hot,
prior to last night, anyway, which is where I wanna start.
Uh, that third inning seemed to snowball a little bit on Bello.
You look at Tanner Houck, 218 ERA,
Nick Pivetta, 406.
-Bello's at 555. -Yeah.
[Jones] How do you get him more in line with those other guys?
Yeah, um… it's been a challenge, to be honest with you.
This stuff is a lot better than in the past.
He's throwing harder,
the changeup is good, the slider much better.
We're not throwing strikes.
And, you know, we're gonna make an adjustment.
We're gonna push him back, give him kind of like a breather
so we can do some work on the side.
And, um, this guy is very important for us,
not only now but in the future.
Now we gotta get back to… to be aggressive in the zone,
and if he can do that, he'll be okay.
[Jones] All right, Alex Cora joining us here on Jones and Mego with Arcand
on WEEI.
We're live today inside the Ford Clubhouse Fenway Studio.
[on radio] On the Red Sox, they've been red-hot.
They struggled last night.
Bello's struggles last night. What's going on with him?
How do the Red Sox get it fixed?
We'll get into that right after "Trending" with Christian Arc.
[distant siren wails]
[Joe] Good evening, everybody. Welcome to New York, New York.
We're in the Bronx, where the Red Sox play the Yankees
for the first time on the road this year.
Red Sox took two of three from the Bronx Bombers
last month at Fenway.
And that sort of sent the Yankees into a tailspin
after their fantastic start.
They've lost 14 of their last 17 games, and they have been reeling.
But the Red Sox, they've won 25 of their last 40, dating back to May 19th.
[Will] A big reason why is the player I'm keeping an eye on here tonight.
That's the leadoff hitter, their table setter, in Jarren Duran.
And we talked about Aaron Judge and Juan Soto going to the All-Star Game.
Jarren Duran, when full rosters are announced on Sunday,
he could be going to the Midsummer Classic as well.
That's how good he has been for Boston.
[Cora] A little bit worried with the All-Star Game, you know?
Hopefully, they selected the… the right ones.
But if… if it doesn't happen, we've gotta be on top of it,
you know, because, uh… especially Jarren.
You know, like… you know.
Just…
If they're smart, he's in it. If he's not, then we have to take care of him.
You know, we've been through this path in the past, right?
But he'll be okay, hopefully, but, uh… just a little bit worried.
[Andrew] Yeah.
[crowd murmuring]
[commentator] It's been a pretty ugly game here so far,
coming out of that 38-minute rain delay.
[Andrew] Come on, Tanner!
-[suspenseful music plays] -[commentator] One out, bases loaded.
Here's the pitch. Ground ball to second base.
Valdez to Rafael.
-Oh, he threw it away! -[crowd cheers]
The Yankees have a one-nothing lead
on what should've been an inning-ending double play.
Bases still loaded.
Here's the 3-1.
That misses inside. Volpe walks the Yankees.
Yet another run.
And here comes Alex Cora.
Looks like that's gonna do it here for Tanner Houck.
It's more about your health than anything else.
We gotta take care of you.
It's a lot of pitches. We gotta keep you healthy, okay?
Okay? Vamos.
-[music fades out] -[subway rattling]
-[crowd chants] Let's go, Yankees! -[clapping in unison]
[Joe] Red Sox down to their final strike. They trail 3-1. Two out in the ninth.
-[man 1] Let's go, Yankees! -[man 2] Fucking A!
Let's go, Yankees!
-[man 3] Go Yankees! -All day, baby! All day!
-[man 2 yelling] -[man 3] Yeah!
-[man 2] Yeah! -[all cheering]
[Joe] Yoshida tonight struck out.
A fly deep to center, a fly to center again.
0 for his last 9.
[suspenseful music plays]
[Joe] I'd love to see him pull one here in the air to right.
It takes off, and it's taken high.
That'll be defensive indifference as Smith moves to second.
Go, Masa!
[Cora] Come on, Masa.
[crowd clapping in unison]
[chants] Let's go, Yankees!
[expectant music plays]
[Joe] Swing and a drive to right field deep.
Back toward the warning track.
-And to the wall, and it is gone! -[cheering]
[Joe] Masa! Yoshida has tied the game
with a two-run homer in the 9th inning.
Can you believe it?
[commentator laughs] Masa!
[Joe] Wow. His first home run of the year.
[cheering continues]
[commentator] How about it?
[Jen] This team this year doesn't have superstars.
If someone in the middle of country looked at the Red Sox lineup,
they might not recognize, you know, many of the names in it.
The guys that aren't on your radar,
those are the ones that always come out of nowhere and end up helping.
Guys that have had really difficult journeys
producing at a very high level.
[Joe] And then we go to extra innings.
[Cora] Flaco!
Hey! Vamos, vamos.
[commentator] Hamilton on second, hopping around.
Here's the first pitch. That's gonna be down.
Get no strikes if your head's at second.
[Andrew] Up middle.
[expectant music continues]
[Andrew] Stay middle. Stay middle.
-[Cora] Hey! Get up! -[Andrew] Yeah!
[commentator] This ball is back. Grissom going way back to the track.
-Way back to the wall. It's gone! -[cheering]
[commentator] Ceddanne Rafaela has just launched a 1-0 fastball
to dead center field.
[Joe] This was an exhilarating win, no question about it.
[commentator] I mean, this team…
[chuckles] …I mean, they continue to win differently every night.
[music fades out]
[indistinct street chatter]
[Cora] The All-Star Game is in Texas in a few weeks.
I do believe we're having an outstanding season as a group.
There's a lot of guys that deserve to be there.
Obviously, not everybody's going.
And this year, we're gonna have three going to Texas.
The first one,
I mean, a thousand hits in his career.
He's been a silver slugger.
Raffy Devers, you're going to Texas.
[player 1] Yeah!
-[indistinct chattering] -[clapping continues]
[player 2 shouts indistinctly]
[Devers chuckles]
[clapping subsides]
Talking about consistency, Tanner Houck, you're going to Texas.
[players cheer, whoop]
[Cora] And we've got one more.
This guy is fucking amazing.
If you want your kids to become big leaguers
and play the game the right way, you're gonna tell them,
"Take a look at Jarren Duran, fucking All-Star."
[players cheering]
-[player 3] Come on, baby! -[overlapping plaudits]
-[player 4] Let's go! -[Duran] Thank you.
-[muffled indistinct chatter] -[Cora chuckles]
-[player 5] Awesome! -Awesome.
-[Andrew] Awesome! -[player 6] Awesome!
[clapping subsides]
And with that, that's it, boys. Let's go.
-Let's win this series. Let's go! -[players cheer]
-[O'Neill] Let's go! [laughs] -[player 7] Congratulations.
-[tender, rousing music playing] -[Duran chuckling]
-[player 8] Congratulations. -[player 9] Double hug.
-Hell yeah. Congrats, my man. -Let's go.
[player 10] Congratulations. Well deserved.
[Joe] Two out, ninth inning. Three-nothing, Red Sox.
Trying to win another series here and go five and one on the trip.
[music continues]
Here's Aaron Judge, leading the world in most power categories.
Jansen is ready, the payoff pitch.
Swing and a miss, and it's over!
The Red Sox shut out the highest-scoring team in baseball,
the New York Yankees, three to nothing.
They win the series two games to one,
and they lead the Yankees in the season series four to two.
Can you believe it?
[mellow, ethereal music plays]
[music fades out]
[man] So I have about 100 Major League Baseball clients.
And I specialize in dressing guys that are just specimens, right?
Not every tailor can put a suit on this guy
and have it not break, you know?
'Cause, like, his back is so wide, but his waist and his core are so narrow.
He's got a lot of swag,
so I feel like he's probably gonna wanna make somewhat of a statement.
-You good to button up, I'll do the cuffs? -Yeah.
[Tom] It's his first All-Star, hopefully first of many.
And I put all the bold prints on there
that I thought he would be comfortable wearing.
But, uh, all roads led back
to the electric neon orange and pink.
I mean, I think it's gonna be the most talked-about suit
on the carpet today, for sure.
What do we have on the inside?
And then we have something a little… little personal… right there.
Oh yeah. Just turn towards me.
This man is yoked.
All right, can you turn around so we can see the back?
I mean… this is unbelievable.
-Hell yeah. -Feel I'm gonna be doing a lot of this.
-[Tom] Yes. Yes. Do lots of that. -[card reader beeps]
-[door opens] -Hello.
-[door closes] -[Octavio] How you doing?
-I'm Tom. -Hi, Tom.
[Tom] I'm responsible for making him look good.
-Oh, wow. -A pleasure.
-Great job. Looks amazing. -[Tom] Thank you.
-You'll never forget your first All-Star. -Nope.
-Are you guys ready? -Yeah.
Okay.
[soft guitar music plays]
[Dena] Wait for me. I got little legs.
[Octavio chuckles]
[Duran] I'm trying to sprint my way through the red carpet.
-[Dena chuckles] -[Octavio chuckles]
-You look great. -[Dena] Yeah.
[Duran] I'm stressed out beyond belief right now.
[Octavio laughs]
-[automated voice] First floor, going up. -[Dena] Just relax.
[Greg] This is the interview everyone's been waiting for.
We got Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne, your girlfriend,
who, obviously, gymnast and super social-media star.
[soundscape fades]
[Duran] You look at all the guys in the All-Star Game, and it's like, damn.
I feel like they've all accomplished something.
Judge is… Aaron Judge, home-run record.
Soto doing what he does.
B-Witt just setting records as a rookie.
I'm just Jarren Duran.
Like, that's Shohei Ohtani, one of the best players in the game.
[Shohei in Japanese] There's a print of my dog inside.
[Duran in English] All these guys have done amazing.
And, like, I just didn't feel like I was at that level.
Like, I shouldn't really be there.
And then I walked in with that bright-ass suit, like…
[chuckles] …I don't feel like I belong here,
but I'm gonna come out with this ignorant thing.
This is just a recipe for disaster here.
[woman] Representing the Boston Red Sox, Jarren Duran,
making a fashion statement on the red carpet with his family.
[fans clamoring]
[fans calling] Jarren!
-Jarren, can I get a selfie? -[Harold] You like this?
Yeah, first time, I was a little nervous, but it's fun.
It must be nice to be that good-looking, that fast, that good in baseball,
and then, at the same time, so well-dressed.
I feel comfortable. It's a good fit.
And I'm feeling fly.
[director] How did it feel to be in that suit?
It felt awesome. Yeah.
-[Octavio chuckles] -[fans] Jarren!
This is an event to remember forever. You know what I mean?
There was always a joke we had, like,
I never play good when they're in town or come to see me.
We always say, "We're gonna watch you." "Oh, great."
[Duran] I always wanna play good in front of them and make them proud.
-Congratulations. -[Duran] Thank you.
-Have fun. Relax. Enjoy. -[Duran] I will.
-[Octavio] Love you. -[Duran] Love you.
-See you guys after. -Yeah.
[Duran] I wasn't trying to build it up too much.
I was trying to be like, "Well, I made it here,
so let's just sit back and enjoy the show."
"And if I get in, like, whatever happens happens."
[commentator] Tanner Houck is on to pitch.
Here's Ohtani.
Hits this ball hard. Way back to right field!
Ohtani has homered in the All-Star Game.
[crowd cheering]
[Tanner] Feel like it wasn't that bad of a fucking pitch.
-[Duran] No. -[Tanner] He's really good, huh?
He's really good.
Not even that bad of a pitch.
-Splitter down. -Yeah, I know.
When he hit it, I was like…
I know. I was like, "Oh, pop-out. No, that's not."
What the fuck?
[melodic, suspenseful music plays]
[commentator] Jarren Duran, who was back and forth
his first couple of years in the majors, is a .220 hitter.
Came up as a high average, high on-base guy,
but started to try to pull the ball for power,
lost what made him good.
Alex Cora said he settled back into doing what had made him himself,
which is hitting the ball over the field, using his speed,
and the power has come from that.
And he's gonna be a huge part of the success in the second half.
When he gets on base, look out.
[announcer] Now batting from the Baltimore Orioles,
Anthony Santander.
[Duran] There were two outs, and then Santander got a hit.
I was like, "Oh shit. I'm about to go up to the plate now." [chuckles]
I was so nervous
'cause last time I played in Texas sucked.
[announcer] The center fielder from the Boston Red Sox,
Jarren Duran.
[family whooping, whistling]
[commentator] Jarren Duran,
who Alex Cora says has figured out who he is.
Come on, JD.
Come on, kid. You got this.
[Duran] I told myself, "I'm gonna go first pitch."
Like, "I'm swinging first pitch."
Why didn't I swing? I told myself I was gonna swing first.
I stepped out, just trying to calm myself.
Like, "You're in the All-Star Game, bro." Like, "Just have some fun."
"Hit something hard, and run like a lizard down first base."
[music builds]
[commentator] Here's a high-fly ball off the bat of Jarren Duran.
-Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! -[overlapping shouting]
[commentator] That one will leave the yard and give the American League…
-[cheering erupts] -…its first lead of the night.
[Dena] Whoo!
[commentator] Boy, this dream season for Jarren Duran continues here
with a home run in the All-Star Game.
[Octavio laughs] Motherfucker.
Words can't describe how I feel right now.
Very proud. I'm on cloud nine.
[laughs] That's all I can say.
[Duran] First All-Star Game, and I hit a homer.
[soundscape fades]
Felt surreal.
Yeah.
[commentator] Two gone in the ninth inning.
Clase's 0-2 is fouled into the glove for strike three.
The AL's back on top with a tenth win in the last 11 All-Star games.
But the one swing right there from Duran was the difference.
How about Jarren Duran?
[uplifting music plays]
The Ted Williams MVP, it's Jarren Duran from the Red Sox.
[crowd cheering]
-[Dena sobs] -Thank you, Mama.
[crowd cheering, whistling]
[Duran chuckles]
Seeing my mom and my dad and my brother cry…
-Let's go! -[Duran] …I was trying not to cry.
I was like, "Don't cry. Don't cry."
I was like, "I have to do a bunch of interviews."
"I don't wanna have fucking soaky eyes right now."
[reporter] The Red Sox have played a lot better, I think,
than a lot of people thought they would. You guys are in the hunt.
What is exciting to you about the second half coming up,
and how have you guys gotten to this point as a team?
[Duran] I mean, we play every game hard.
You know, we run out ground balls. We put pressure on the defense.
And we got each other's backs.
That's awesome out of a young team.
So I'm excited the way we're gonna take the second half.
It's a really good, individual thing to be an All-Star.
But at the same time, I'm putting so much fucking pressure on myself.
Yeah, you're an All-Star. Like, that's awesome.
But the way I look at it, it's like, "Shit."
"Now I have to be an All-Star every single night."
[music fades out]
[car horn honks]
[woman] So how are you doing?
-[Masa] Good, but a little bit tired. -[woman] Good?
-[woman] Tired? -[Masa] Yeah.
[woman] So how was practice?
-Today, toss and… um, BP. -Okay.
-Machine… machine BP. -Okay.
-So do you swing 100%? -[Masa] Mm-hmm.
-Full swing? -[Masa] Yes.
-[woman] Super fast? -Yeah. A hundred.
[in Japanese] That's what I'm aiming for.
[Keri Ann in English] So "I want to."
-I want to. -[Keri Ann] Yeah.
I want to be… yeah, 110.
-[Keri Ann] Exactly. -Yeah.
[Keri Ann] Okay. After practice, what do you do?
[Masa] Mm…
-Netflix. [chuckles] -[Keri Ann laughing]
-Okay. -[Masa] Uh…
[Keri Ann] So do you call your family every day?
-Yeah. Mm-hmm. -Okay.
-Mm. Every day. -[Keri Ann] Nice.
[whispers] You're a good dad.
[in Japanese] I miss you.
-[in English] I miss you. -I miss…
[in Japanese] Things.
-[Keri Ann] Yeah, "I miss things." Yeah. -I miss things.
[Keri Ann] Okay.
[Cora] You know, it has to be very hard, right?
Because you're on the other side of the world,
so communication is gonna be hard, and they got kids
and the school and the conversations, how they go, you know?
And that's where the game is at.
-In English? -Girl.
-Son. -Son.
-Boy. -Boy
Yeah. In Spanish, "hijo."
-Hijo. -Hijo.
[Will] We, as a sport, totally underestimate the journey
that these players go through.
-Hijo. -Hijo.
Yeah.
It's something people don't think enough about.
-[in Spanish] Happy now? -Yes.
-I ate. [laughs] -[Abreu] You get here.
You don't know the language.
Sometimes, you can't communicate well with others,
with your teammates on and off the field.
What's happening? All good?
Ay.
[Will in English] Even under the brightest of lights…
[Bello] Thank you. Thank you.
[Will] …these players are individuals far from home.
You don't speak the language, you know none of the people,
and you're away from everyone you've ever known and loved in your life.
[in Spanish] The girl, pal, how is she?
That little girl is playing around.
I'm dying to see her already.
[Bello] It's not easy when your family is in another country,
while you're working.
Sometimes you want to be with your family.
You want to hug your kids. You want to hug your wife.
It's difficult, very difficult.
I have been wrestling with that throughout the season.
[woman] Wilyer, how old are you turning?
-How old are you turning, Wilyer? -How old's the baby turning?
Like this. One. Like this. One.
One.
Wilyer's been here eight years, in minor leagues, major leagues.
We've been together five years.
And it was only last year I could come here.
That whole time, eight months,
him here, me in Venezuela.
It was horrible. Horrible.
-[Amanda in English] It's hard. -Yes.
[in Spanish] Sometimes I would call Wilyer… [chuckles]
…crying, because it would hurt me.
I wanted to be here, watching him play, and I couldn't.
I didn't have a visa.
I was going crazy because he was here, and I couldn't be. [chuckles]
When I got here, I didn't have anybody, I didn't have family. I had nothing.
I spent a lot of time alone.
And the truth is, it's really difficult to be this far from family.
[poignant music plays]
My grandmother is sick.
And it's very difficult to be thinking about what is happening at home,
what's happening with my grandmother, her illness,
while I'm elsewhere, unable to support her.
[woman] Do you have a nanny or family here?
No, I don't have family. [in English] I don't have family--
-[Amanda] All in Venezuela? -All… O sea…
My family and the family of Wilyer…
-And Wilyer's family too. -[Amanda] Yeah. Okay.
-[Rhea] Wow. -Only him and me.
-[Amanda] That's lonely. -And my baby.
Maybe the next year, my English, maybe…
-You're doing fantastic. -My español needs to be better.
I know it's not easy.
[Rhea] I almost want to get out Google Translate just to be able to say…
[in broken Spanish] …I feel bad that I can't communicate effectively.
-[in English] Me too. Me too. -[women laugh]
[in Spanish] They're always with the ball, batting, and we're alone at the house,
locked up with the baby.
Sometimes I start thinking that when the baby is around four, like hers,
and has to go to school, and he travels,
I can't travel, and I'm by myself.
[in English] I feel like there's no easy way
to, like, live this lifestyle.
[Abreu chuckling]
[Kelly in Spanish] It's a very solitary lifestyle.
My love, I think the baby will be a lefty. He's throwing the ball with the left.
[Kelly] I mean, the three of us are always trying to be together.
There are very few opportunities for the three of us to be together.
It's very difficult to see my son… go a week without seeing him,
to see how emotional he gets just seeing him on the phone.
He knows his father won't be there when he gets home.
Obviously, I would love my son to feel that emotion,
not only for a week but all the time.
Bump, bump.
[chuckles] Bump. Bump.
[Cora in English] It can become very lonely in this environment.
[in Spanish] Bump.
I played on the West Coast, and my family was in Puerto Rico
for years, you know? And it was hard.
You know, that's something that always worries me,
how we can connect, you know,
understanding that more than 40% of the players are minorities
from all over the world.
And I put myself in their shoes.
I start thinking about how we're gonna make this happen.
[poignant music continues]
[music fades out]
You took it personally, right?
Yes, you got pissed off. Yes, you took it personally.
And you've pitched with an attitude since you arrived.
That mentality needs to be thrown out.
You know, because we can't… How do I say this?
We can't be thinking that something bad will happen, you know,
like, "We didn't catch the ball, so…"
Instead, "You know what? I'll help you."
You know what I mean?
Because as I see it, brother, the stuff is good.
It's better. Most certainly, that's what frustrates you.
[Bello] That's what I say.
The slider is… it's beautiful.
[Cora] The slider is much lighter than last year, right?
[Bello] The changeup is very bad.
The sinker is bad. The speed is very bad.
[Cora] Yes.
There's nothing outside of the field, Bello, nothing. We're good?
[tour guide chattering in distance]
[Cora] You miss them?
Huh? That's what's happening, right?
[Bello sniffles]
[tour guide chattering in distance]
[Cora] Come here. Come here. Let's talk. Let's talk.
[Bello] I miss them.
[Cora] You miss them, huh? You miss them. Listen, one misses them.
That they cook for you, that they're there with you.
[chuckles] You do miss that. I can tell you that.
-Well, we'll keep talking, okay? -[Bello] Yes, okay.
[Cora] You know it. Keep working, you hear me?
I love you very much. Okay.
I was talking to Bello.
-[coach] Uh-huh. What did he say? -[Cora tuts]
I asked, "You miss your family?" He said, "Yes."
-[coach] He told me he went with his wife… -[Cora] Uh-huh.
-…and the daughter to get the visa. -[Cora] Uh-huh. Yeah.
[coach] They gave it to the girl, not to the mom.
[Cora] Really?
He must relax a little so he can breathe and rest his mind.
-So he can breathe. -So he can work on what he needs to.
It's hard, man. That we know.
Everyone who has gone through a season here knows…
-[Cora] No, no, no. -…it's hard.
-You try, but you still need your wife. -No. No, no, no.
You need her at least one day with the kids.
-Yes, yes, yes, yes. -Because you need them.
[pensive music plays]
[Joe in English] Good evening.
Welcome to Fenway Park for the first game of this three-game series
between the Boston Red Sox
and their archrivals, the New York Yankees.
[Will] Every seat is occupied. This place is jammed tonight.
Excitement has built for this Red Sox team
as the season's gone along,
and they've continued to be a surprise to most.
-A game out of the wildcard picture. -[national anthem plays]
[commentator in Spanish] We begin an extremely important series
for the Red Sox team,
who are definitely competing for a spot in the postseason.
I am manifesting it for them once again.
I have confidence in my team.
[crowd whoops, claps]
For this first game of the three-game series,
Brayan Bello will take the mound for Boston
with the goal of stopping the New York Yankees hitters.
-[anthem crescendoes] -[crowd whistles, cheers]
[commentator] And Boston is definitely looking for victory.
-[soundscape fades] -[suspenseful music plays]
[Bello] When your pitches are working,
at least for me, who has three or four pitches.
[Andrew in English] Look at that thing!
[Bello in Spanish] When those pitches are working well,
they do all the work for you.
[uplifting music fades in]
[muffled crowd cheering]
[Joe in English] Bello with a long set.
Bounced wide at third. Grabbed by Devers.
Fires to second, out. Westbrook to first. Double play!
Okay!
[Andrew] Hell yeah, niño!
-Fucking gross, dude. -[huffs]
[Andrew] Sucio.
[Bello in Spanish] You throw your pitch,
try to land it where the catcher's asking for it.
And they do the work for you because the pitches are good that day.
[Joe in English] Bello picking it up here.
That's his fourth punch out, and after three and a half, 2-1 Boston.
The pitch home. 1-1 is lined.
-[Bello in Spanish] Go three! -[Joe in English] Left center, a base hit.
And Gonzalez with a big turn, puts on the brakes. Retreats to second.
So Jarren Duran has a base hit.
His 125th hit this season.
He is third in the league in hits. First and second with two down.
-Pitch home. Swing and line drive. -[crowd cheers]
By the third baseman, into left field. A base hit. It's gonna go over the wall.
-A run scores. Duran is held at third. -[players cheer]
[Joe] The Red Sox lead it three to one with an RBI double by Refsnyder.
-[Vázquez] Hell yeah, baby! -[indistinct chatter]
[Andrew] Let's go, baby.
[Duran] Yes, sir!
[Bello in Spanish] The hardest part of pitching is facing a really good team.
That's the moment when you can improve a little bit.
You need to come up with an idea to get…
to keep the team at low runs or no runs.
That's when you grow.
[producer] Are you ever signaling in a pitch?
No, no, no, no.
We do feel very confident in our pitchers' and catchers' ability
to call the game and work through it.
But every pitcher is different.
You have some guys who just wanna be hands off
and let the catcher call the game from behind the dish.
-The pitcher has a speaker in the hat. -[automated voice] Pitch call on.
[Andrew] And the catcher wears kind of like a mini dashboard on the wrist.
[automated voice] Two-seam fastball. Inside.
[Andrew] And he's able to dictate
four-seam, two-seam, slider, sweeper, changeup.
You definitely need to know each pitcher's kinda quote-unquote palate.
[automated voice] Two-seam fastball. Inside.
[Bello in Spanish] In baseball, nothing is easy.
[Will in English] Bounces one up the middle.
Cut off by Rafaela behind the back. High throw, and he's safe at first.
[Bello in Spanish] If you come out with the same stuff as the last inning,
you know you're going to get beat.
[in English] Fastball. Fastball. Fastball. Fastball. Fastball.
I got more pitches. I got changeup. I got slider.
Why every time?
First pitch, two-seam.
Every hitter.
[automated voice] Two-seam fastball. Away.
It's nice pitch, a slider.
Nice pitch. I wanna throw the slider.
But it's only two-seam, two-seam, two-seam, two-seam.
[Will] Grisham hits next.
First ball swinging, fly ball, left center field.
That could be trouble, it is, off the bottom of the wall,
in left center.
Played back in by Refsnyder.
Here's a relay throw to the plate. Not in time.
Fuck, man.
What do we gotta do?
[man] Shit, Cora.
[crowd chants] Let's go, Red Sox!
[automated voice] Two-seam fastball. Inside.
[Will] Line drive, base hit, into right field.
[automated voice] Two-seam fastball. Away.
[Will] Verdugo lifts one high in the air to left field. Back against the wall.
Refsnyder makes the catch.
And in to score the tying run from third is Trent Grisham.
[Cora] Get Booser going.
[Bello in Spanish] Two-seam fastball. Two-seam fastball. Two-seam fastball.
Fuck. Don't I have another pitch?
Who in the hell can't hit a damn fastball?
-[Andrew in English] Keep talking to him. -[Wong] Yeah, yeah. One at a time.
Feel comfortable calling timeout.
"Hey, papi, vamos. You know, "Let's hablar." You know?
It's okay.
-What do you wanna do first pitch? -What do you wanna do?
I like spin, but if you feel better with the two-seamer…
No, no, no, no, no. I want to throw the slider for a pitch.
-[Wong] Slider? Yeah. Let's go. -Let's go.
[Bello in Spanish] The problem is when one or two of your pitches aren't working.
You have to know how to adjust in that moment
in order to have a good inning.
So making quick adjustments is the most difficult thing
a pitcher has to do.
Especially a starter.
Vamos, niño!
-[announcer] Number 22, Juan Soto. -[clapping]
[fan] Come on, Soto!
[Will] Soto now hitting .309 with 26 homers and 72 runs batted in.
[automated voice] Slider.
[suspenseful music plays]
[crowd murmuring faintly]
[soundscape fades]
[Will] He hits a little lob, shallow left. Refsnyder is there.
After running a couple of steps towards center.
So they've kept Soto in check. He's out on a fly ball to left.
He's 0 for 3 tonight.
And there are two outs here in the Yankee fifth and a 3-3 tie.
And Aaron Judge will be the hitter.
[automated voice] Slider. Away.
[suspenseful music continues]
[Will] Cabrera leads from first.
Big hole on the right side of the infield for Judge.
-The pitch. Looping fly ball. -Fuck!
-[Will] Left field right at Refsnyder.
-And he makes the catch. -[Bello shouts angrily]
[Bello] Fuck!
[Andrew] Pitching at the Major League level is walking on a tightrope.
And when we're operating in chaos, and we don't fully understand ourselves,
as a pitcher, we're in this free fall,
and we never know when the net's gonna come.
As coaches, we wanna raise that net to ten feet under the tightrope.
So when they fall, inevitably…
[Bello chatters angrily]
[Andrew] …we can get back right up on that tightrope,
and it's not a steep fall.
[Bello] Wow, man!
[Andrew] The way I look at each individual player
is like a chapter book of development.
And we're really never fully done developing.
He's not a finished product.
And everyone develops at their own cadence, and that's okay.
[Cora in Spanish] Bello. That's it. Yes.
The inning's running long. Almost there, okay?
-[Bello] Okay. -[Cora] Your last inning was good.
-Good job. -Thanks.
-Vamos. -[tense, apprehensive music plays]
Ay.
[Joe in English] Brayan Bello.
Sort of an up-and-down performance.
Five innings, three runs.
[Will] Interesting that Alex Cora took Bello out after just 80 pitches.
[Joe] But if the Red Sox hold the lead, he'll have his 11th win.
[Will chuckles] Yeah.
[Joe] Sometimes wins don't reflect the caliber of pitching.
What a spot for Zack Kelly,
his 28th appearance in the top of the 7th inning.
[Will] Once again, Aaron Judge.
[tense music continues]
[Joe] The pitch.
[music builds]
[Joe] Swing and a drive to center field crush.
Forget about this one.
Oh, is it… nailed right below the scoreboard
into that photographer's stand out there.
A three-run homer on the first pitch by Zack Kelly.
And just like that, the Yankees lead 6-4.
-Wow, was that tacked. -[Will] What a bomb that was.
[Joe] Whoa.
[Will] You and I have both been here a long time,
and you don't see many up there.
Way over the seats and straightaway center.
-My goodness. -[Joe] Oh, was that crushed.
[tense music continues]
And here's left-hand batty catcher, Austin Wells.
-[Wells grunts] -[music lifts]
-[Cora in Spanish] Gone. -[Joe in English] Hit well.
Back goes the right fielder O'Neill by the bullpen, by the stands.
It's gone.
He dives into the stands, could not make the play.
And Austin Wells is homered, and the Yankees lead 7-4.
Zack Kelly's come in and given up two bombs.
O'Neill went back and jumped, fell into the stands but had no chance.
Austin Wells hitting his 8th.
Driving in his 23rd run.
Wow.
[music abates]
-Let's go. -Come on, Raffy.
[player] Keep scrabbling, boys. Keep scrabbling.
-[Cora] Masa! -[player] Keep scrabbling, baby.
[crowd] ♪ Take me out with the crowd ♪
♪ Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks ♪
♪ I don't care if I never get back ♪
That's a three-run game, by the way.
-[Varitek] Still is. -Yeah.
[Varitek] Ball floats somewhere right here and we got a shot.
[Joe] Rafaela struck out twice and hit by a pitch. Also has a steal.
This is an old-fashioned Yankee-Red Sox game
in that it's been a grinder.
Come on, kid. Get him in the zone.
[low, suspenseful music plays]
[Joe] Swing and a miss. He got a fastball by him away.
Vamos, CR! Vamos!
Come on, kid.
-Give it all! -[Joe] Drive to left field. This is deep.
Way back and long gone. Over everything and left.
[cheering]
[Joe] So now Rafaela's made it a one-run game with a home run over everything.
Yankees seven, Red Sox six.
[cheering continues]
-[Cora] We'll win this game. -[Varitek] Yeah.
[fans whooping, clapping]
[hopeful, expectant music plays]
[Will] Red Sox have pulled a 1-1. We go to the 8th inning.
Seven to six, Yankees.
Runners at first and second.
[Cora] TO, we're gonna use Abreu here for you, for Holmes, okay?
-We got it. -[O'Neill] We what?
[Cora] We're gonna pinch hit for you with Abreu, okay?
-We got it here, okay? -[O'Neill] Yeah.
Let's go. Vamos, Wily!
[Joe] Abreu to hit for O'Neill. Wow.
[commentator] Tyler O'Neill, the guy that probably wants this at bat.
Talked to him. Guess they're gonna go with Wilyer Abreu.
The lefty against the power sink of Clay Holmes.
[Cora] I'll tell you why. Well…
His grandmother is about to pass away today or tomorrow.
Yeah.
He came in today devastated. It's been going on for a week.
[music intensifies]
[whistles]
Base hit! Base hit!
[Andrew] Come on, boys!
-[soundscape muffles] -[exhales]
[suspenseful music drowns out background]
[music builds]
[music abates]
[commentator] Line drive, base hit, center field.
-Yeah! -It'll fall in and score at least one.
-[Varitek] Go, go, go! -Refsnyder in.
-Throw to second is off line. -[Varitek] Yeah!
[commentator] Abreu dives in with a double.
And on to third, Connor Wong.
[cheering, whistling]
[commentator] It's seven to seven on a pinch-hit double by Wilyer Abreu.
[hopeful music resumes]
[Will] Infield in, second and third, one down for Masa.
[commentator] Line drive, base hit through the middle.
Into center field, one run is scored.
Abreu will score too.
[raucous cheering]
[commentator] It's nine to seven, Red Sox on a line single into center by Yoshida.
And a Yankee-Red Sox classic
in the opener of this three-game series at rollicking Fenway Park.
-Let's go! -[crowd chants] Yankees suck!
Yankees suck! Yankees suck!
-[in Spanish] See? We're good. [laughs] -Thank you.
[fans clapping]
[Will] Kenley Jansen trying for his 20th save of the year.
The pitch, swing, and a ground ball to short.
Down to a knee, Rafaela flips to Hamilton
for the out that ends the ballgame.
[Red Sox fans cheering]
[Will] The Red Sox win a wild one in game one of this three-game series
with the Yankees.
[commentator] And this is a game that I think we're gonna be replaying
back years and years from now.
And this time of year, especially, gets magnified
with this being right near the trade deadline.
[Will] There are pieces here where it could really start to roll.
You get maybe one more starting pitcher and maybe another middle infielder,
something like that.
And you just kind of take off a little bit.
On the other hand,
they have some pieces that will be extraordinarily appealing to other teams.
Those are the ones that you can really leverage
and cash in on.
When they got one year left on a deal and a team is desperate,
you can get a ton back in return.
It's kind of the ultimate calculus of a major league executive.
You know, you got Craig Breslow here.
Will he do what the previous regime did not do?
And that is believe in a clubhouse, go out and make a big addition.
It's not easy on any level. It's not black and white.
That's why they get paid the big bucks. It's not gonna be an easy question at all.
[upbeat, funky music playing]
[music fades]
[low, ethereal music plays]
[music fades out]
[earth skitters]
-[baby giggles] -[gulls calling]
[waves crashing]
[clicking]
-[commentator] Number 23. -[crowd cheers]
[strings stab]
[cheering fades]