Farrell: Hanrahan's job not on thin ice

After last night's debacle of an outing, Red Sox closer Joel Hanrahan seems to already have some fans giving him the evil eye. Hanrahan came into the game in the 9th inning to try and get the save as the Sox had a two-run lead. Sounds simple, but the attempt was about as wild as some of his pitches, with the closer not only blowing the lead but giving up five runs as well.


Even so, manager John Farrell says that he understands the struggle in switching leagues and that this one performance does not put Hanrahan on the hot seat:

“He’s obviously our closer,” said Farrell. “I think [he's] coming over and learning this league, understanding that there’s power up and down the lineup, particularly the top half, and this club, they can drive the ball out of the ballpark. I think as Joel is making his way through the American League, particularly the American League East, location is key, particularly in those late-inning moments.”

Farrell is right. You can't call for the guy to be axed after one bad (very bad) outing. As Farrell stated, Hanrahan is new to the American League, as he previously pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates. A transition like this does call for some adjusting. Yes, this loss was a tough one to swallow. However, it's just one game. If this becomes a recurring issue then we will revisit the topic.

Anthony Aidonidis
@aidonidis18
#StillBetterThanAceves