01x05 - Episode 5

[bunniefuu]

[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 ba*ls

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 ba*ls 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 ba*ls,

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!

f*ck 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 f*cking sh*t.

[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.

- g*dd*mn.

[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 f*ck.

- [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] f*ck. 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.

sh*t. 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] f*cking 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 f*cking 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, f*cking 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-a*s 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 f*cking 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 f*ck?

[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 sh*t. 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 sh*t! Oh sh*t! Oh sh*t!

- [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] m*therf*cker.

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 f*cking

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 ba*ls.

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 f*cking pressure on myself.

Yeah, you're an All-Star.

Like, that's awesome.

But the way I look at

it, it's like, "sh*t."

"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.

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!

- f*cking 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.

First pitch, two-seam.

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.

f*ck, man.

What do we gotta do?

[man] sh*t, 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.

Two-seam fastball. Two-seam fastball.

f*ck. 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.

- f*ck!

- f*ck!

- [Will] Left field right at Refsnyder.

- And he makes the catch.

- [Bello shouts angrily]

[Bello] f*ck!

[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 b*mb 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 cr*cker 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!

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]