Red Sox: How Steven Wright got his groove back

It was the best of times followed by the worst of times. Red Sox Starter Steven Wright’s implausible season is examined under a microscope.

For Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Steven Wright, it was the best of times, followed by the worst of times, followed, once again, by the best of times. My references to the “times,” obviously relate to the pitching exhibitions authored by the man affectionately known as “Knucklepuck.”

For those who are interested, Steven Wright was acquired on July 31, 2012 from the Cleveland Indians as part of a trade for Lars Anderson.

Most Red Sox fans are cognizant of Wright’s implausible season; however, I surmise that many of those fans are unacquainted with the degree of improbableness that Wright’s season has assumed.

Prior to 2016, Wright, a 31-year-old knuckleball pitcher, had engendered the following career statistics: 7 wins, 5 losses, 26 appearances, 11 games started, an ERA of 3.95, and 107.0 IP. In other words, in 2016 alone, Wright has acquired six more wins, started twice as many games, and thrown approximately 40 more innings than he had in his entire baseball career prior to this season.

As referenced in the first paragraph, the beginning to Wright’s season, specifically his initial 14 starts from April 10 until June 20, was the American League’s best pitching exhibition to commence the 2016 campaign, as on June 20, Wright led the A.L. in ERA with a value of 2.01.

In Wright’s subsequent seven starts, from June 25 through July 31, inclusive, Wright produced an ERA of 6.18. Nonetheless, the Red Sox won five of those seven starts, somewhat concealing Wright’s poor pitching presentations and rendering said presentations less appalling.

In Wright’s most recent start on August 5, he tossed a 3-hit shutout that hopefully signaled the commencement of the third segment of Wright’s 2016 campaign, a segment more analogous to the one authored in his first 14 starts.

Next: April 10 - June 20