Prominent Member Of 2018 Red Sox Roster Contemplating Retirement

The former Cy Young winner had quite the ride in Boston.
Prominent Member Of 2018 Red Sox Roster Contemplating Retirement
Prominent Member Of 2018 Red Sox Roster Contemplating Retirement /

While the 2018 Red Sox's World Series run is still fresh in the minds of the Boston fanbase, the roster appears to be fading into retirement rapidly.

After some shaky reporting by USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the world was convinced that Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price planned to retire following the end of the 2022 season. 

Price, 37, shut down the notion of his mind being made up already but still left the door open for an offseason retirement. 

"David Price said he still hasn’t made a final decision about retirement yet," Los Angeles Times' Jack Harris tweeted Sunday. "He said he just wants to try and get back for the stretch run this year, and then see where he’s at after the season."

Price will always be remembered for his wild ride in Boston, where he never reached the "ace" status expected of him (46-24, 3.84 ERA in a Red Sox uniform) but was one of the biggest influences on one of the most successful teams in Major League Baseball history. 

The vaunted championship run was the peak career highlight for most, if not all members of the 2018 roster. 

That said, there is a case to be made that nobody needed that ring as much as Price. The southpaw spent the majority of his career trying to prove his postseason acumen but failed to do so until the historic 2018 run. He dealt with much media scrutiny for not being able to step up in the postseason but posted a 3-1 record with a 3.46 ERA with a 23-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .194 batting average against in 24 innings across six appearances. 

He started his playoff run cold, with two rough appearances, but was lights out from then on. Between his World Series-clinching performance in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros and his three appearances against the Dodgers in the World Series, Price posted a 3-0 record with a 1.37 ERA, 19-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .152 batting average against in 19 2/3 innings. 

In his own words, he finally "holds all the cards now" after years of giving fans and media alike the ability to harp on his lack of postseason success.

Whether the 2012 Cy Young Winner and five-time All Star decides to hang up the cleats or not, it's as good of a time as any to reflect on his four-season stint in Boston.

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Scott Neville
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