If Joel Hanrahan can do for the Boston Red Sox what he did against them, they should be very happy with their new closer. In the first of his two All-Star seasons, the right-hander posted back-to-back saves for the Pittsburgh Pirates with perfect ninth innings against the Red Sox in June 2011. He struck out Adrian Gonzalez, who entered the series batting .359, to end the second game.
“When people look back on me as a Pirate, that’s the one that stands out the most to them,” Hanrahan said Wednesday after being obtained in a six-player trade.
Boston completed the deal Wednesday, also receiving infielder Brock Holt. The Red Sox gave up right-handers Mark Melancon and Stolmy Pimentel, infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr. and first baseman-outfielder Jerry Sands.
The Red Sox also announced the signing of free agent shortstop Stephen Drew, who agreed to a one-year, $9.5 million contract early last week.
The acquisition of Drew and Hanrahan are the latest in a series of moves designed to improve on a 69-93 record and a last-place finish in the American League East.
POLICE REPORT SAYS JONES DRAGGED WIFE
The wife of former Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones accused him of dragging her down a staircase, grabbing her neck and saying he wanted to kill her, according to police records.
A police report said the fight happened around 1:30 a.m. on Christmas Day.
Andruw Jones was free on bond after his arrest on a battery charge, according to Gwinnett County Jail records. It wasn’t known Wednesday whether he has an attorney.
Nicole Jones told officers that she tried to escape upstairs, but her husband grabbed her by the ankle and dragged her down some stairs, got on top of her and said, “I want to kill you,” according to the report.
“Due to Andruw’s level of intoxication, Nicole said that she was able to push him back and move away from him,” the report states. Nicole Jones then went to her parents’ house.
Police said they found injuries on Nicole Jones’ neck, which they photographed for evidence.
RANGERS ADD PIERZYNSKI
A.J. Pierzynski can joke with Texas manager Ron Washington about last season’s All-Star snub now that he’s the starting catcher for the Rangers.
They shared a laugh over lunch a few days before Wednesday’s announcement that Pierzynski’s one-year free agent contract with Texas was complete. Both considered the All-Star issue dead after it happened in July, even though Pierzynski had a cryptic retort when Washington explained the difficulty of the decision.
Washington said Pierzynski will be the primary catcher, pushing Geovany Soto to the backup role after he re-signed as a free agent.
Pierzynski hit .278 with a career-high 27 home runs in 135 games for the Chicago White Sox.
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