Boston Red Sox

Morning sports update: Mookie Betts dismissed the idea that he doesn’t want to stay in Boston

"Just because you go to free agency doesn’t mean you don’t want to be somewhere."

Mookie Betts
Mookie Betts earlier in 2019. The Associated Press

By Hayden Bird

4 minutes to read

It was a case of lucky sevens for the Red Sox on Monday night, as the team started an important stretch of games against American League East competition with a 9-4 win over the Rays in Tampa.

Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez pitched seven scoreless innings, and the offense posted seven runs in a third-inning eruption that saw three home runs:

Mookie Betts shared some thoughts on free agency: Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts will be eligible for free agency after the 2020 season. Already, speculation abounds over what the 26-year-old star will do.

In an interview with MassLive’s Christopher Smith, Betts explained that the possibility of testing free agent waters isn’t an indictment of his experience in Boston.

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“It’s completely wrong,” Betts told Smith. “I’ve loved it here. I love the front office, my teammates, coaches. Everybody. It’s been nothing but amazing here. Just because you go to free agency doesn’t mean you don’t want to be somewhere. It’s just a part of the business.”

The defending World Series champions are currently in an uncertain place, as the team is on the periphery of the chase for an American League wild card berth. Should Boston continue to falter, the Red Sox could be a seller at the July 31 trade deadline.

Betts was asked if he’s thought about potentially being traded.

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“Yes and no,” Betts explained . “I think that’s a part of it. There’s nothing I can do about it. I have to go out and put on my uniform every day. And if that time comes, that time comes. But right now I’m here, and I’m enjoying my time here. It’s above my pay grade.”

Trivia: It’s been recently announced that several Celtics will be included in the United States’ FIBA World Cup squad. The American men’s team hasn’t lost a game in the World Cup since 2006, when a U.S. team that included LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul fell in the semifinals. What nation pulled off the upset?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: Rick Pitino has coached in this nation’s domestic league.

More from Boston.com:

The revival of the Revolution in one chart

: After falling to (and staying near) the bottom of the Eastern Conference for much of the first part of the season, the Revolution have gone on a 10-game unbeaten run to climb back into the playoff race.

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The Patriots are a top-10 franchise in financial valuation:

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Red Sox photographer Billie Weiss captured a stunning image of Fenway Park on Monday:

 

On this day: In 1989, American cyclist Greg LeMond pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the Tour de France on the streets of Paris to win the famous race by the smallest margin in its history.

LeMond, the winner of the 1986 Tour, had nearly been killed in a hunting accident a year later when his brother-in-law mistakenly shot him with approximately 60 shotgun pellets. It was only an emergency helicopter evacuation that saved LeMond’s life. He was not expected to regain the ability that made him a top level cyclist.

Yet the California native persisted, and by 1989 he was back at the Tour. Despite surprising experts with his good form, LeMond still trailed Frenchman Laurent Fignon by 50 seconds heading into an unusual final stage: a time trial that finished on the Champs-Elysees.

LeMond opted for what was an unorthodox bike setup at the time. He rode with particularly aerodynamic gear that is now commonplace. But the stage was just 15.2 miles long, and prognosticators were certain that it was too short a distance for LeMond to make up such a time gap on Fignon.

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With a record-setting pace (he averaged 33.89 MPH during the stage), LeMond erased Fignon’s seemingly insurmountable lead. Since the yellow jersey of the race leader always starts a time trial last, Fignon rode after LeMond. After what seemed like an eternity pedaling down the final straightaway of the Champs-Elysees, Fignon finished. After three weeks and more than 2,000 miles of racing, he was eight seconds too slow.

By what remains the smallest margin in the Tour’s history, LeMond had his second win in France’s most famous race. The stage was a microcosm of his comeback: improbable and incredible. The image of a distraught Fignon — who collapsed after the race in tears — remains an iconically tragic moment in French cycling.

Daily highlight: An inspiring achievement.

Trivia answer: Greece.