Abraham: Red Sox have Lackey’s back

Lackey has pitched all season for the Red Sox while trying to support his wife Krista in her fight with breast cancer. There have been times when Lackey’s performance on the mound mirrored his personal anguish. But he continued to show up.  Lackey has not talked at length about his wife’s illness. He acknowledged the situation during spring training, saying that Krista had been diagnosed during the offseason. He asked that the details be kept private.  A series of positive steps came to an unexpected halt close to Opening Day, when doctors informed the couple that Krista needed more chemotherapy. She has since shown improvement, but nothing is guaranteed.

“If that would have happened to me, I would have been gone,’’ said Beckett, Lackey’s closest friend on the team. “I’m at home. There’s no way. I couldn’t do it.  If my wife was going through that, I’d be in Texas. I’d tell the team to figure it out by themselves.’’

Beckett obviously means well, but his comment ends up reading a bit like a comple-sult.