“I made a decision to come play for the Boston Red Sox, and I’m super excited to be here playing for this ballclub.”

Alex Bregman defends himself against boos: Though it’s hardly a new dynamic for Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman, he endured some boos from Tigers fans during the game in Detroit on Monday night.

“It is what it is. It’s part of it. To be honest, I’m just super happy to be able to be playing the game of baseball at this level, and playing against a great team,” Bregman told reporters after the game.

Of course, given his presence on the Astros teams from 2017 and 2018 that were later exposed for a sign-stealing scheme, Bregman noted that his reception was “probably similar to the one that I’ve gotten here over the last six years.”

The cause of the latest round of boos from opposing fans was less to do with his Houston history than the choice he made in the recent offseason: Sign with the Red Sox or Tigers. While Detroit reportedly offered the largest sum of money ($171.5 million over six years, per MLB.com’s reporter Mark Feinsand), the 31-year-old Bregman chose Boston’s greater average annual value (a three year deal worth a reported $120 million).

Tiger fans let Bregman know how they felt about his apparent snub.

“Obviously, I was really close [to signing],” Bregman acknowledged on Monday. “But I made my decision to come here [to the Red Sox], been super happy to be here, really enjoyed my time being with my teammates. Obviously, they have an incredible ballclub over there.”

“It was not a diss of Detroit,” Bregman later added of his free agent choice. “I made a decision to come play for the Boston Red Sox, and I’m super excited to be here playing for this ballclub.”

Bregman is off to a strong start in his Boston tenure. Through 42 games in 2025, he’s hitting .309 with nine home runs and a .952 OPS.

Trivia: The Tigers and Red Sox have both produced 12 MVPs in MLB history. Can you name Detroit’s most recent recipient of the award?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: 2013.

Scores and schedules:

The Celtics lost to the Knicks 121-113 in Game 4 of the second-round playoff series on Monday. Boston now trails 3-1 in the series, and faces elimination in Game 5 back at TD Garden on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The Red Sox also lost on Monday, falling 14-2 to the Tigers. The two teams play again in Detroit this evening at 6:40 p.m.