BOSTON — Red Sox starter Walker Buehler had some fun on Twitter/X in the wake of his ejection in the third inning of Boston’s win Tuesday. A day later, he said he wants his posts to speak for themselves.
Buehler, who was ejected by home plate umpire Mike Estabrook after arguing a ball-strike call to Juan Soto in the third inning Tuesday, posted twice on the social media platform early Wednesday morning. One tweet responded to Laz Diaz’s characterization of the ejection and another commented on Mets star Francisco Lindor encouraging the umpiring crew to throw him out.
“I said my piece — sponsored by Buffalo Trace (bourbon) a little bit,” Buehler laughed.
On Tuesday, Buehler threw a 1-0 pitch to Soto that was clearly a strike but Estabrook called it a ball after he didn’t get a great look because catcher Carlos Narváez popped up to try to throw out Lindor, who was trying to steal second. Buehler repeatedly told the umpire that the pitch was “right down the (expletive) middle” and was ejected after a quick warning by Estabrook. Crew chief Laz Diaz told a pool reporter that it was an automatic ejection whenever a player left his position to argue balls and strikes. Buehler responded to Diaz’s explanation by noting that Estabrook walked toward him with a tweet reply asking “who cut the distance” between the two men.
Buehler originally declined comment on Estabrook’s behavior, in clear fear of a fine. But once he saw Diaz’s comments, he changed his mind.
“That’s not my place to talk on what they do or whatnot,” he said Wednesday. “But if they are going to give an interview, I think I have the right to respond a little bit. Again, I’m not gonna comment on what I think he’s thinking. I said my piece about my side of it.”
Buehler also quote-tweeted a video of Lindor egging on the umpires with: “I wouldn’t want me out there either. Sad thing is the BULLPEN is full of (expletive) animals. Tough choice.” Before Wednesday’s game, he said it was water under the bridge.
“We’re all competitive,“ Buehler said. ”It is what it is at that point. I’d probably do the same if I was him.”
Manager Alex Cora, who has a close relationship with Lindor, had breakfast with the shortstop in Boston on Wednesday.
“I had breakfast with him this morning,” Cora said. )I saw the Walker one… Trevor (Story) told me, too, he was doing the same thing (telling the umpires to eject Cora) when I was arguing. It is what it is. He’s a good kid.”
In explaining why tensions rose so quickly Tuesday, Buehler mentioned that he “had a history with the Mets.” That was likely in relation to an animated scene during Game 3 of last year’s NLCS, when Buehler and Lindor exchanged words on the field. In an ironic twist, however, a source indicated recently that the Mets made a hard push to sign Buehler this winter and had a real shot at signing him before he agreed to a one-year, $21.05 million deal with the Red Sox. Buehler confirmed those talks Wednesday.
“They definitely were one of the teams we had a lot of conversations with,” he said.
“It’s all fun and games until you take a step back and realize I left our bullpen out to dry,” he said. “Obviously, they threw their ass off and kept us ahead and we win, but if one of those innings goes poorly and we lose, I think we look at it differently. For me, personally, putting our whole team in that situation, it’s unacceptable and selfish. But it’s something we’ll move forward and learn from a little bit as well.”
For the relievers who pitched, a gift is in the mail.
“They did not get Buffalo Trace,” he said. “They got another liquid.”