The Red Sox won the 2018 World Series, but not without some clubhouse crossfire.
Postseason hero and longtime Boston infielder Brock Holt revealed an incident from that season in which a teammate allegedly said he would bring a gun to the field and “kill” the entire team.
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Holt was a guest on the “Section 10 Podcast” on Thursday when they discussed Rafael Devers’ unceremonious exit from Boston, leading to a broader discourse on the importance of clubhouse chemistry.
Brock Holt spent seven seasons with the Red Sox. Paul J. Bereswill
This ultimately led to Holt addressing the 2018 team.
“We had a guy or two in ’18 like that, and we got rid of them,” Holt began.
“We were in Tampa, and we were in a circle stretching before [batting practice], and having a good ol’ time. And this someone looks around at all of us and says, ‘You know what? I’m going to bring a gun to the field tomorrow and kill all of you.’ And then he looks straight at me and says, ‘And you’re gonna be first.’”
Holt, who spent seven seasons in Boston, said the unnamed Red Sox player was “probably joking,” but the nature of his comments left people around the organization concerned.
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“Our strength coach at the time was like, ‘Dude, I got to tell [then-team president Dave Dombrowski].’ And I was like, ‘Please do because I’m the first one that’s going to go.’
“We don’t have a lot of time, let’s get him out of here.”
Andy Barkett, who was the Red Sox’s assistant hitting coach during the 2018 season, appeared to corroborate Holt’s allegations on social media.
Boston Red Sox players celebrate after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium. USA TODAY Sports
“True Story…” he posted on X while replying to a clip of the podcast.
The purported incident did not impact the Red Sox on the field.
Boston won 108 regular-season games before steamrolling through the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers en route to the franchise’s ninth world championship.
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Holt enjoyed a strong season, .277/.362/.411 with seven home runs and 46 RBIs in 109 games.
The 2015 All-Star also became the first player in MLB history to hit for the cycle in the playoffs, reaching the feat in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Yankees.
After spending 10 MLB seasons with the Pirates, Red Sox, Brewers, Nationals and Rangers, Holt retired from baseball in 2022.
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