Dennis Eckersley is letting it all out in his final season calling Red Sox games, if his commentary during Tuesday's game vs. the Pirates is anything to go by.
The Hall of Fame reliever was brutal in his summation of the Pirates roster, which is undergoing reconstruction amid a 45-71 season that sees Pittsburgh in last place of the NL Central.
Here's Eckersley absolutely torching a "pathetic" Pittsburgh roster as "a hodgepodge of nothingness" alongside booth mate Dave O'Brien. His commentary came during the bottom of the second inning, at which point the Red Sox were already up 5-0:
Dennis Eckersley on the Pirates (roster construction, payroll, etc):
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 17, 2022
"You talk about a no-name lineup. There's no team like this."
"This is a hodgepodge of nothingness."
"It's ridiculous. It really is. Pathetic." pic.twitter.com/qwPBnmkDTD
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Boston — which is 58-59 and in last place of the AL East — ultimately won the game 5-3. Mentioned in Eckersley's diatribe was the Pirates' 2022 payroll, which places the team in 28th place in MLB with a combined payroll of $66 million, per Spotrac.
Eckersley and O'Brien then opined that the Pirates' poor roster had to be because general manager Ben Cherington was rebuilding the team's farm system.
"Tell me they have a great farm system," Eckersley said. "Tell me they do. That's what they're doing, I assume."
"Trying," O'Brien said.
To that end, the Pirates do have several MiLB players ranked among the top 100 prospects, including catcher Henry Davis (No. 20); second baseman/shortstop Termarr Johnson (No. 30); and pitcher Quinn Priester (No. 47) in the top 50.
As MLB enters the dog days of summer, broadcasters are seemingly getting more and more agitated. Eckersley's comments come on the heels of Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez asking not to call a series vs. the Phillies, saying he doesn't like watching them play.
Either way, it doesn't seem as if Eckersley is interested in seeing how those prospects pan out for the Pirates — or watching Pittsburgh play ever again.
