MLB notes: ‘Three Tickets’ title belt bringing Red Sox bullpen together in striking fashion

The “Three Tickets” title belt, which the Red Sox bullpen is awarding whenever a reliever strikes out the side in a scoreless inning. (Courtesy of the Boston Red Sox)

Thursday night in the seventh inning of the Red Sox eventual 7-5 loss to Tampa Bay, rookie right-hander Justin Slaten took the mound and mowed down the first three Rays batters he faced, striking out the side for a dominant scoreless inning.

Shortly afterwards, in the clubhouse following the game, Slaten officially became the newest holder of the Red Sox “Three Tickets” title belt.

Much like how many teams have some kind of home run prop — like the Mariners’ trident or the Boston 5K medal the Red Sox passed around last month — the Red Sox bullpen has adopted a trophy of its own: a pro wrestling style championship belt awarded whenever a reliever strikes out three men in an inning without giving up a run.

“If you strike out the side you get the belt,” said right-hander Zack Kelly. “So a little prize for the relievers.”

The belt was the brainchild of Liam Hendriks, who took part in a similar game while pitching for the Chicago White Sox. The tradition began in 2021, only that year the trophy was a Lego Infinity Gauntlet modeled after the one worn by Thanos in “The Avengers” movies. In 2022, they switched things up, passing around a replica Mjölnir hammer from “Thor.”

“It had a gun case that we carried it in with padding and foam and everything like that,” Hendriks said.

After signing with the Red Sox, Hendriks decided to bring the tradition to Boston, only instead of carrying around an “Avengers” themed trinket he opted for something a little more practical. He wound up going with a championship belt, reasoning that it would pack more easily for road trips while fitting the vibe as a trophy to be passed from one reliever to another.

Hendriks had the Red Sox belt custom made, using blue leather for the strap and gold plating on the front and sides. The front plate is emblazoned with the team name and a big “B” logo, as well as the phrases “Two Words” and “Three Tickets,” referring to the three strikeouts in an inning it takes to earn the belt.

It also features the letter “K” on the side plates, along with the words “Sword” and “Doors.” Hendriks even got an assist from the Boston K Men, who have hung “K” signs in the outfield for the club’s ace ever since the days of Pedro Martinez.

“It’s the actual K’s that the K Men do on the Green Monster, so I reached out to them and got the actual JPG of that and was able to put that on it,” Hendriks said. “One is a forward facing K, one is a backward facing K.”

The first one to punch three tickets in a scoreless inning was Slaten, who struck out all three men he faced in the seventh on April 6 against the Los Angeles Angels. Then Kenley Jansen won the belt, striking out three Pittsburgh Pirates batters in the ninth on April 20. He held it until Greg Weissert earned it on April 30 at home against the San Francisco Giants, and this week the belt changed hands twice, with Cam Booser claiming the title on Wednesday before Slaten earned it again the following night.

Whoever earns the belt is responsible for carrying it with them, including on road trips. In that respect earning the belt is something of a double-edged sword: this isn’t a lightweight plastic trinket, it has some real heft.

“To Liam’s credit, it’s pretty heavy,” Booser said. “It’s a well done belt, I mean it’s official.”

“That thing is so heavy,” Jansen said. “I was so glad when the next person got it and I didn’t have to carry that belt no more.”

But wait, doesn’t Jansen have enough cache where he could have someone else carry the belt for him? Kind of like how Paul Heyman always carried around Roman Reigns’ belt during his years-long WWE title reign?

“I’d feel bad to do that to the young guys, man,” Jansen said.

Generally, the belt remains in the clubhouse and never comes out to the bullpen or dugout, and when a title change occurs there isn’t usually the kind of grand ceremony that typically accompanies the occasion in the combat sports world. Still, the title has been well received within the Red Sox clubhouse, and members of the bullpen said it’s helped build camaraderie while fostering friendly competition.

“It’s a cool thing to hold onto and it makes it a lot of fun,” Booser said. “We have a lot of fun in the clubhouse, the guys are really good. It’s a good time.”

“When we’re out there in the bullpen for so long we want a little competition between ourselves,” Hendriks said.

Unlike with an actual championship belt, which is defended at all costs by its holders, the Red Sox relievers actually want to see it passed around on a regular basis. That would mean they’re all pitching well, and the more times someone racks up three tickets in an inning, the better the team will be.

And for those who haven’t held the belt yet, it’s a little extra incentive to try and punch three tickets of their own.

“Maybe tonight,” said right-hander Chris Martin.

Skenes living up to hype

There haven’t been many pitchers who have come into the league recently with as much hype as Paul Skenes.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes posted preposterous numbers during his time at LSU, striking out 209 batters over 122.2 innings while posting a 1.69 ERA for the College World Series champions. Boasting a fastball that routinely tops 100 mph and some filthy breaking pitches, Skenes has the type of gifts that makes you think anything could be possible.

Few could live up to those kinds of expectations, but somehow Skenes has managed to exceed them.

After a month-long ramp-up in Triple-A, Skenes was called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 11 and has quickly proven he’s the real deal. The 21-year-old right-hander struck out seven batters in his MLB debut, in which he allowed three runs on six hits and two walks over four-plus innings, and on Friday against the Chicago Cubs he was utterly dominant. Skenes struck out the first seven batters he faced and finished with six scoreless and hitless innings, striking out 11 overall while walking just one. In the process he drew 22 whiffs, and his fastball topped out at 101.2 mph.

You’d probably have to go back to Stephen Strasburg in 2010 to find a coming out party like this.

Obviously nothing in baseball is guaranteed, but Skenes is clearly a special talent and his starts will be appointment viewing from here on out. Barring injury he should have a long and bright future ahead of him, and his arrival is a win for not only the Pirates, but the sport as a whole.

Zeferjahn an early success story

When Craig Breslow came to Boston and began overhauling the Red Sox pitching development infrastructure, the hope was that not only could the club get the most out of its established arms, but it could also help elevate less heralded prospects into potential impact players.

Less than two months into the season, one overnight success story has already emerged.

Ryan Zeferjahn, a former third-round pick out of the University of Kansas in 2019, has established himself this spring as the most improved pitcher in the Red Sox system. The 26-year-old right-hander dominated Double-A so thoroughly in April that he’s already earned a promotion to Triple-A, and since getting there he’s quickly adjusted to the higher level through his first three outings in Worcester.

“Obviously moving that soon in the season feels great because it means you’re doing something right,” Zeferjahn said earlier this week. “Coming out of spring training I was like I’ve got to go back to Portland and prove what I’ve worked on and what I’ve become as a pitcher, I think I did a great job with that and it showed obviously with the promotion coming how I was throwing up there.”

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Zeferjahn consistently throws in the upper 90s and has topped 100 mph, but in past years his fatal flaw has been his command. Last season Zeferjahn struck out 70 batters in 46 innings, but he also walked 40, a major contributor to his underwhelming 4.70 ERA.

Over the offseason, Zeferjahn made improving his command and consistency a top priority, and this spring he’s looked like an entirely new pitcher. In seven appearances at Double-A he posted 13.2 straight innings without an earned run to open the season, striking out 22 while walking just three.

He’s tacked on another five innings without an earned run through three appearances since coming to Worcester, and while he has walked five batters while striking out five, that is partially attributable to the automated ball-strike system used in Triple-A, which features a smaller strike zone than Zeferjahn would typically get in Double-A.

Chad Tracy, Zeferjahn’s new manager with the WooSox, said the right-hander’s transition to Triple-A has gone smoothly.

“The biggest priority going into the season was attacking the strike zone, get the ball in the box, you have really good stuff, and he did that and then some in Double-A,” Tracy said. “He’s shown the same since he’s been here. It’s been upper-90s all around the square, he’s shown a really good slider down and away, he’s looked the part so far.”

Zeferjahn attributed his success to better nutrition and to spending so much of the offseason working out in Fort Myers. By reporting to camp in the best shape of his career he was able to maximize his gains, and from that point on things quickly started picking up steam.

“I worked hard in the offseason and then when I got to spring training tinkered with some stuff with my pitches and mechanics and stuff,” Zeferjahn said. “Once I kind of figured it out and it started clicking it just took off from there.”

Now he’s just one call away from realizing his big league dream.

Boston K Men supporting The Base

Now in their 26th year, the Boston K Men have become a fixture atop the Green Monster whenever the Red Sox ace is on the mound. The K Men have hung “K” signs ever since the days of Pedro Martinez, and over the past few seasons they have also partnered with The Base, a Roxbury-based urban academy that provides sports training and competition along with programs geared towards college access, career development and other outlets to help talented local kids enjoy success.

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Those efforts are continuing again this season, and much like last year the K Men are selling specially designed T-shirts and hats to help raise money to support The Base’s programming. Thanks to a donation by the Bleacher Bar and the Lyons Group, 100% of all donations will go to The Base.

“Our goal is simple: raise funds and awareness for our city’s kids — and help build a movement of citizens committed to their success,” the K Men write on their website.

For more information, or to buy a shirt or hat, visit bostonkmen.org/.