Free agent Justin Turner has humorous response to historic Shohei Ohtani contract
"For the record, I have a career 0.00 ERA."
2023 Red Sox and current free agent Justin Turner took note of Shohei Ohtani’s reported record-shattering contract on Saturday.
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Following the news that Ohtani is reportedly signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Turner took to Twitter to share his reaction as a player in search of a new deal himself.
“I believe JFK said, ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’ well in that case the boats are flying!!!,” Turner posted on X about Ohtani’s new deal.
He followed the post up with a fun fact about his own two-way skills on the diamond:
“For the record, I have a career 0.00 ERA.”
Turner isn’t wrong. In one career pitching appearance from 2021 when he himself was a Dodger, he didn’t allow a run.
Los Angeles put Turner on the mound in a 5-0 game against the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 29, 2021. The Dodgers’ bullpen was seemingly exhausted, so manager Dave Roberts turned to the position player.
The then-36-year-old Turner tossed a scoreless ninth and allowed just two hits on 10 pitches. That feat earned him a perfect 0.00 earned run average that he touts to this day.
After the fact, he said the experience was something that he had always wanted to do in MLB.
“Obviously don’t want to be losing games right now, but to get out on the mound and throw an inning, is kind of a bucket list thing for me,” Turner told reporters postgame. “I was glad I had a fairly quick inning and didn’t have our guys standing out there too long … But it was fun.”
While Turner may not earn an Ohtani-level contract in free agency, the 39-year-old could reportedly earn a multi-year deal this winter, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
The Red Sox and Turner have “mutual interest” in a 2024 reunion, Cotillo also wrote.
Turner called the idea of a return to the team next year “fantastic” to Cotillo in late September.
The 39-year-old was an unlikely bright spot on an otherwise disappointing 2023 Boston team. He seemed to take on a major leadership role and performed beyond expectations.
Turner played the second-most games (146) for the Red Sox this past year and recorded 96 RBIs, second behind Rafael Devers’s 100. He collected 154 hits and 23 home runs while notably batting .338 with runners in scoring position.
The fan-favorite showed grit as he played through a bone bruise in the second half of the season. The injury should have kept him out for four to six weeks.
Whether Turner returns to Boston or signs elsewhere, he will surely bring his humor with him.
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