Dodgers Call Up Polarizing Ex-Red Sox Hurler After Roller Coaster Stint With Club

Boston's fans will not miss this former player

Scott Neville | Jun 20, 2023

Dodgers Call Up Polarizing Ex-Red Sox Hurler After Roller Coaster Stint With Club /

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Boston Red Sox

The Los Angeles Dodgers called upon a right-hander who was released by the Boston Red Sox last month after a horrific start to the season, one everyone except for Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom could see coming.

"Dodgers are selecting reliever Ryan Brasier’s contract, The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya tweeted prior to Tuesday's game. "(Brasier) was signed to a minor league deal earlier this month after six years with the Red Sox."

Brasier has been one of the most hated Red Sox players over the last two seasons, purely due to performance. The 35-year-old posted a 7.29 ERA with an 18-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .286 batting average against and 1.57 WHIP in 21 innings for the Red Sox this year.

His numbers a year ago weren't much prettier, yet he was one of the few relievers to survive the mass bullpen overhaul this winter. He was horrendous for almost two months this season before Bloom finally pulled the plug.

The shame of it all is that Brasier could have been remembered as a clutch high-leverage reliever had Bloom not let him overstay his welcome.

Brasier was an integral part of the 2018 World Series championship roster, performing particularly well in the postseason -- 1.04 ERA with five holds in 8 2/3 innings across nine appearances after posting a 1.60 ERA during the regular season.

He also stepped up in 2021, when he played well upon returning from a serious injury and ended his season by pitching in four straight games without allowing a run to help Boston secure a Wild-Card spot ahead of their unexpected run to the American League Championship series.

Fans should try to remember how important he was for the two best Red Sox teams in the last few years, though it's hard to forget the shell of himself we saw to end his Red Sox tenure.

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Published Jun 20, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu