Beckett drops his appeal
Pitcher told by team to accept five-game ban
Though he would have preferred to challenge the league, Josh Beckett yesterday dropped his appeal and accepted a five-game suspension.
Beckett, who had been appealing a six-game suspension levied by Major League Baseball, wanted to state his case in a hearing, but the Red Sox told him to accept the five games because it will end the matter and not significantly affect the rotation.
"Everybody has to answer to somebody, and my boss told me this was the best thing for the ball club," Beckett said. "If it was up to me, obviously, we would have gone through with this whole thing, because I don't think I deserve even one game. When your boss tells you that something is best for the whole group, that's what we do.
"I don't support this at all."
Beckett, who pitched six innings for the win Saturday, next will pitch Saturday against the Yankees. He would have pitched Friday, but because the Sox have a day off Thursday after a two-game series against the Twins, Jon Lester, yesterday's starter, will pitch Friday on normal rest.
"I understand that," Beckett said. "I don't support this thing, because I truly believe I don't deserve one game. It's unfortunate. Other people don't always see it the same way you see it."
By his "boss," Beckett said he was referring to both manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein. The suspension stemmed from Beckett's role in a bench-clearing altercation with the Angels April 12. After Bobby Abreu called time out, Beckett, already in his delivery, fired a ball that zipped past Abreu's head. Afterward, he demonstrated what league vice president of discipline Bob Watson termed "aggressive actions." Beckett maintains the location of the pitch was unintentional, and he feels the umpires not ejecting him validates his actions.
The Red Sox agree with Beckett that the pitch was unintentional and he deserves no suspension - but they believed taking the five games would be the safest approach. Team officials spoke with league officials over the phone yesterday morning.
"I don't think that the organization felt like it was ever going to get lessened [to fewer than five]," Francona said. "Regardless of how we feel about what happened, once the decision was made to overturn the umpires, looking at past history and how the league feels about [it], regardless of what kind of case Josh stated, I don't think they go below five, because they want you to miss a start.
"Once it came to a point where it got to five over the phone, it probably seemed like the best thing to do for the ball club."
His ability to switch between the bullpen and the rotation impresses seemingly everyone but him. He said his 60-pitch outing in relief Tuesday was helpful, and that he could pitch six or seven innings if all goes well. Masterson sees nothing daunting about the move.
"I get a sense that a lot of other people make a bigger deal about it than I do," he said. "I can only imagine that's what helps me out. It's just pitching."
"I think as a starter, you're going to see him face more lefties," Francona said. "Because lineups will be made to attack him as opposed to, when you bring a guy in from the bullpen, you're bringing him in to face guys you want him to face and make them make an adjustment. If he pitches like he can, he'll get people out."
Although Masterson is devastating on righthanders, who have hit .201 off him in his career, he's effective against lefthanders, too. They have a .241 average against Masterson. "I really haven't found the challenge with lefties that everyone makes such a big deal about," Masterson said. "It's not like I'm scared or anything."
Adam Kilgore can be reached at akilgore@globe.com 
