The Boston Red Sox shipped outfielder Coco Crisp to the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday morning. In return for Crisp, the Red Sox will be getting reliever Ramon Ramirez from the Royals.
Ramirez, went 3-2 with a 2.64 ERA in 71 games in 2008. He registered 70 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings. He said he first learned of the trade shortly after 8 A.M. on Wednesday morning when management from the Royals called him while he was at home in the Dominican Republic.
Crisp never got into a good rythum with the Red Sox after coming over to the team from the Cleveland Indians. With Jacoby Ellsbury slated to be the everyday centerfielder, the Red Sox had room to move Crisp and thought that Ramirez was a good enough player to make the trade.
The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays once again played in a fiesty game on Thursday night and there was even a bench clearing brawl in the second inning. Coco Crisp was hit in the right hip by Rays starting pitcher James Shields and Crisp quickly charged the mound at Shields. Shields threw a wild right punch and Crisp countered with a few punches of his own as he was tackled by Rays catcher Dioner Navarro. Rays DH Jonny Gomes charged the mound from the dugout, jumped on Navarro and Crisp, and threw a few punches that hit Crisp while he was on the ground. Crisp, Shields, and Gomes were all ejected from the game and will all be suspended 5-7 games each I would imagine.