Even with out Rafael Devers, who’s day-to-day with proper calf tightness, the Red Sox lineup is relentless. On Monday night in Oakland, they collected 10 hits and demolished the downtrodden A’s, 7-0.
Aside from Yu Chang, each batter collected successful, however Connor Wong was the one Red Sox participant with a multi-hit recreation. The catcher went 3-for-4 with a run and three RBI.
But all due respect to the spectacular Boston bats, this night time belonged to Nick Pivetta.
After Brennan Bernardino opened the sport with a pair of scoreless innings, Pivetta took over and pitched top-of-the-line aid performances in baseball historical past.
Over six innings, he induced 14 swings & misses, didn’t permit a single hit, and racked up strikeouts.
With his tenth strikeout, he joined Hideo Nomo (April 4, 2001) and Smoky Joe Wood (July 29, 1911) as the one three Red Sox pitchers to achieve double-digit Ks with out permitting successful.
When Pivetta reached 12 (his seventh consecutive Okay), he tied Diego Segui (1974) and Dick Radatz (1963) for the franchise file for strikeouts in a aid efficiency.
His thirteenth Okay set a brand new one.
“Good fastball, good command of his off-speed pitches, working ahead, great tempo,” Alex Cora lauded to NESN postgame.
Pivetta’s 13 strikeouts put him three away from the Major League file set by Randy Johnson, who took over a suspended recreation from none aside from Curt Schilling, and struck out 16 batters. Denny McClain, Rube Marquard, and Walter Johnson are the one different pitchers with extra strikeouts in a aid outing.
“That was fun to watch,” the supervisor mentioned, including. “He likes pitching here.”
Indeed, Pivetta’s solely different two video games in Oakland had been additionally deep, scoreless performances. He struck out 10 over seven innings there on July 4, 2021, and 7 over seven on June 4, 2022. In each video games, he held the A’s to 2 hits and the Red Sox gained.
At this level, it’s truthful to say that Pivetta is among the finest trades of the Chaim Bloom period. Acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies through the 2020 season, he solely price the Red Sox Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree. On a workforce with unending pitching issues, the worth club-controlled Pivetta brings, along with his sturdiness and flexibility, can’t be overstated.
Chris Martin pitched a scoreless ninth to cement the mixed shutout. His three strikeouts introduced the pitching employees’s whole to 18, matching the Brewers (July 14) for the single-game season excessive this season. It’s Boston’s most strikeouts in a recreation since 2021, and tied for the fourth-most in franchise historical past.
Postgame, Pivetta was fast to credit score his teammates for his or her half in his historic night time.
“Wonger was incredible back there,” Pivetta mentioned appreciatively to NESN’s Jahmai Webster. “Berny did a really good job opening.”
“It’s a great honor,” the pitcher mentioned of constructing historical past, however added, “All those things are great things, but the most important thing is that we won a baseball game today.”
About an hour later, the Angels walked off the Yankees within the backside of the tenth inning, pushing Boston’s biggest rival into sole occupancy of the American League East cellar.
Source: www.bostonherald.com