Sox pitching change provokes Yanks' protest

Yankees manager Joe Girardi called shenanigans on the Red Sox in the fifth inning of Tuesday night's 7-6 Yankees loss.

Girardi protested the game because he thought the Red Sox didn't follow proper procedure when they removed pitcher Josh Beckett from the game.

Beckett had just given up a two-run double to Robinson Cano to put the Yankees ahead 5-0 when Boston pitching coach John Farrell emerged from the dugout and visited the mound. Farell then made a motion for a pitching change and manager Terry Francona and a trainer came out to check on Beckett. Girardi claims the call for reliever Manny Delcarmen was made before discovering - or claiming - that Beckett was injured.

Umpires granted Delcarmen unlimited warmup pitches because of Beckett's injury, which the Red Sox later announced was tightness in his lower back. Delcarmen would have gotten only eight warmup pitches without the injury.

"They signaled to the bullpen before they announced to the umpire that he was hurt," Girardi said. "You're supposed to get eight warm-up pitches when you make a pitching change, and if he's physically hurt, you take the trainer and tell the umpire that he's hurt." 

Francona dismissed the allegations when asked about the switch.

"That doesn't mean anything," Francona said.

The Yankees have 24 hours to file the protest with the Commissioner's Office. In the extremely unlikely chance the protest is upheld, the game could be ordered replayed from the point Beckett was removed. It's more likely that pigs will fly over Yankee Stadium, but it doesn't cost the Yankees anything to file.

Umpire crew chief Larry Vanover said: "All I want to comment on is yes he did file a protest and yes we did accept the protest and it was over the procedure of how Beckett was taken out of the game."