Los Angeles Angels catcher Matt Thaiss had a night to forget at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
With the Angels leading by a run in the bottom of the eighth, Thaiss was twice called for catcher's interference, allowing the eventual winning run to reach base. The Red Sox had the bases loaded with one out after Thaiss committed the two infractions and took advantage of the opportunity.
Yu Chang ripped a two-run single through the hole on the left side of the infield to give the Red Sox the lead. The Angels went down in order in their final at-bats, dropping their second straight game in Boston.
Thaiss took full responsibility for the loss.
“It’s awful,” Thaiss said. “It’s the reason we lost. It stings. I’m sick to my stomach over it. We’ll rebound tomorrow.”
While it's easy for Thaiss to blame himself for the loss, so much has to happen to get to a final score of 9-7. His mistakes will be amplified because of when they occurred in the game, but Thaiss shouldn't carry the weight of the defeat on his shoulders.
Though the Angels had seven runs on nine hits, Thaiss didn't contribute to the offensive output. He was hitless in four plate appearances but reached base twice via hit-by-pitch.
Getting called for catcher's interference at any time is a tough pill for a catcher to swallow. When it happens twice in a crucial part of a game, it's hard not to feel like the entire stadium has eyes on you. Hopefully better days are ahead on the diamond for Matt Thaiss.
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