Red Sox Call Out 'Weak' Framber Valdez After Trevor Story HBP Incident

The Boston Red Sox's bats woke up on Tuesday and had one of their best overall games of the season.

Boston took down the Detroit Tigers, 10-3, to improve to 15-21 on the season through 36 games. The 10 runs weren't the Red Sox's highest total of the season to this point, but what makes the performance even better is the fact that Boston was able to have this success against one of the best overall pitchers in baseball in Framber Valdez.

The Red Sox got all 10 runs — including seven earned — off Valdez in just the three innings of work for the All-Star. He pitched into the fourth inning, but was unable to get an out. That inning, he allowed back-to-back homers to Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu before seemingly hitting Trevor Story with a pitch on purpose.

- Give up 10 runs
- Hit opposing team because you can’t get them out

Framber Valdez might be the softest pitcher alive. This guy has the temper of a 4-year-old pic.twitter.com/T7sOFWjEIs
— AT (@BaseballWRLD_) May 5, 2026

The Red Sox Certainly Weren't Happy

May 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) walks off the field after being pulled from the game against the Boston Red Sox in the fourth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Valdez denied that he hit Story on purpose, but Tigers manager AJ Hinch insinuated otherwise while speaking to the media.

"We play a really good brand of baseball here," Hinch said, as transcribed by Chris McCosky of Detroit News. "That didn't feel like it. I'm not judging intent. But I know when you go out on the field in those confrontations, you usually feel like you are in your right. It didn't feel good being out there."

That certainly sounds like someone who thinks Valdez threw it at Story on purpose. After the game, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy was asked about Valdez and also said he believes that it was on purpose and called the move "weak."

"Yes, I do think so,” Tracy said. “I thought it was weak and I thought everybody saw it. Their side, our side, I think everybody saw it. It was weak.”

At the end of the day, Valdez had given up back-to-back homers and 10 total runs, but there wasn't a clear sign that he was going to be taken out of the contest right away because the Tigers' bullpen was thin. So, it would appear, that he tossed at Story the very next batter to take it upon himself to get out of the game.

Sometimes, you're going to see things like this in baseball. It wouldn't be a shock if the Red Sox were to respond by hitting a batter on Wednesday, although that is speculation. Boston and Detroit will conclude the three-game series on Wednesday and then the two teams won't have to see each other for a while after two early-season series.

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