The Oakland A's unleashed on a fatigued Boston ballclub on Friday night, surging to a 20-2 win and leaving the current members of the Red Sox shaking their heads.
The former Red Sox players at the game were likely feeling just fine.
Oakland's offensive onslaught was fueled by three players who came out of the Boston system: Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss and George Kottaras. Reddick, the biggest name of the three, has had a solid first season in Oakland after being sent to the A's in the trade for Sox closer Andrew Bailey, hitting .262 (.327 OBP) with 28 home runs (ninth in the league going into Saturday) and 73 RBIs.
While Reddick may have been reluctant to leave the team where he started, he said Friday that the 74-57 A's have left him with no second-guessing moving forward.
"I'm happy to be here and not there," he said Friday night before the 20-2 thumping, according to ESPNBoston.com.
Reddick talked about the differences between the two teams' clubhouses, but he wouldn't jump into the discussion of what's behind Boston's funk this year.
"I don't know what to think of all that," he said. "That's their issue, and I'm not going to poke fingers at somebody just because they are having struggles. Not everyone gets along with everyone they play for."
But Reddick was outspoken about saying he thinks he's proven himself this year by being an everyday player who continues to contribute for the A's.
"I think there is a good bit of personal satisfaction to show those guys what I can do if given the opportunity," he said. "It's a good feeling to show them: 'This is what I can do, and you didn't give me the chance.' But I'm not going to be mad about it.
"That's the way the game goes. They had to do what they had to do to get a guy they thought was going to be their closer, and unfortunately, it didn't work out for the first half, because the guy gets injured. But you can never predict these things."
Reddick went 2-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs in Friday night's win.
