“I’ll find the best moment to talk to him,” Contreras said. “I know that it could be a mental thing, like it could be something that baseball is taking away from him. But like I said, it’s nothing personal. We are a team. We are here, and I’m pretty sure that the manager talked to him already. But I love Jarren. He’s the best.”
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The episode unfolded in the top of the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park, with the Red Sox and Athletics tied, 3-3. Contreras led off with a single and made it to third base with one out.
Duran lifted a 245-foot fly ball — not deep — to left field, where Tyler Soderstrom made a routine catch. Contreras, who is not fast, faked toward home but then stopped, with little chance of scoring.
Duran appeared frustrated by that decision on his way back to the dugout, looking toward third base, raising his right arm three times, and seeming to say “run.” Upon getting to the dugout, Duran raised both arms, twice, and shouted again as he angrily put his equipment back.
As he took the field for the bottom of the sixth, with Contreras a couple of steps behind him, Duran continued to gesture and talk.
“Just mad at himself. So that was all it was. Just upset,” Tracy said. “He was just cursing himself. I didn’t really venture over there when he was upset to ask. But he was at the bat rack, just upset with himself for not getting the run in.”
Duran said: “That’s nothing. It’s something that within the team that we have, that we work on. And it’s nothing. You guys don’t need to know. Nobody needs to know. That’s something between us and the team that we know what it’s about. So that doesn’t really matter.”
From third base, Contreras could see the commotion.
“I saw him doing some stuff, but I would not take that personal,” Contreras said. “I love the guy, and we need the guy here. We need his energy, and I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him yet, but it’s nothing personal.”
Contreras said he wanted to try to score but “I followed orders” from Epperson not to try.
“The coach told me no,” Contreras said. “I was like, OK, cool. It wasn’t too deep. I wanted to give it a shot, but the lefty had a pretty good arm, and I saw his throw, so I was shot down. But yeah, I didn’t think it was anything bad at all.”
Was Duran frustrated with himself?
“Yeah,” Duran said. “I [expletive] suck. Of course I’m [expletive] pissed at myself. I can’t even do a [expletive] job for this team.”
In the bottom of the sixth, the Athletics had Lawrence Butler at third base with one out. Carlos Cortes hit a fly ball to left — 264 feet, a bit deeper than Duran’s. Duran made a strong throw to the plate, but Butler slid in safe for a temporary Athletics lead.
Duran finished 0 for 4, dropping his average to .195 and OPS to .589. Late in the game, he slammed his helmet in the dugout, breaking a pipe under the bench and causing water to spill out, witnesses said.
Afterward, he appeared upset while sitting in the clubhouse. Connor Wong (a couple of lockers down) and Anthony Seigler (who came from across the room) sat with him for several minutes to talk.
“I love Jarren. He’s one of the guys that plays with emotions. Plays 100 percent,” Contreras said. “We love him here, and he is one of the guys that if I need to go to war, I’m gonna pick him because he’s gonna give his 100 percent.”
Tim Healey can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @timbhealey.
