Tigers’ Framber Valdez called ‘selfish’ by ex-player after Red Sox incident

At 18-19, the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians are once again tied at the top of the AL Central. Another season, another disappointing start for the division. The Tigers have lost two in a row to the visiting Boston Red Sox, continuing their inconsistent form. During Tuesday night’s 10-3 defeat, Detroit lefty Framber Valdez let his temper get the best of him. Following back-to-back Boston home runs, Valdez hit Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story with a pitch. He was subsequently ejected. Former MLB catcher A.J. Pierzynski discussed Valdez’s “selfish” actions, and his thoughts were shared by Foul Territory TV via X, formerly Twitter.

“This is not what you want from a guy who’s supposed to be a leader on your team,” Pierzynski explained. “Like I’m sorry, but he’s gotta go out there and wear it, give them as many innings as he can, and not get angry. And I’m sorry I’m gonna say this word, and I hate saying this word, it’s a little bit selfish. A little bit selfish.”

Valdez signed a three-year, $115 million deal with the Tigers this past winter. Along with back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, the duo was supposed to lead Detroit back to postseason glory. Pierzynski mentioned Skubal’s elbow injury, which will keep him out for the foreseeable future. Now, Valdez needs to step up and lead the Tigers’ rotation.

Unfortunately, his performance and actions on Tuesday were not a good start. The 32-year-old gave up a career-high 10 earned runs before being ejected. It was his worst outing since giving up eight earned runs to the Minnesota Twins in a start last month. Much like the Tigers, Valdez’s performance has been up and down so far. Can he put his “selfish” actions behind him and lead Detroit’s rotation without Skubal? If not, Detroit’s odds for a third straight postseason appearance will drop dramatically.

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