The worst starting hand dealt in a poker game is a 7-2 offsuit. Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price dealt some Kansas City Hold’em in Fenway Park.
The 37 933 people might not have made a full house, but the Red Sox bats made a royal flush of Kansas City’s starter Danny Duffy. He was 11-1 coming into the matchup and left leaving seven runs on nine clubbing hits, including three home runs, on the table. Price didn’t leave unscathed either; however, for six innings, he was dealing some serious pitches.
Price allowed two runs on five hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts. It wasn’t so much the runs that the Royals picked up two runs, including a solo home run by Salvador Perez, as it was about how the original ace of the Red Sox rotation responded.
The two Royals runs were in the top of the second inning, just after Boston went up 2-0 from a Xander Bogaerts blast that scored Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox didn’t leave Price hanging to flop alone, as they earned two more runs with doubles from Jackie Bradley Jr. and Pedroia, who went 4-for-5 and 11-for-12 for the last few games.
Price got back on the mound, tossing blue-chip pitches all over the place after that. By the fourth inning, he had already thrown 75 pitches, as many Royals refused to back down. In the top of the third alone, Price threw 27 pitches in long at-bats. The Royals kept fouling off a ton of knuckle curves and changeups, but Price just kept feeding it to them in pinpoint spots after the second inning. Price was just more determined than the Royals were on this night. He threw 110 pitches, only 79 for strikes, while inducing five groundballs to one flyout.
When Price left the game, the score was 7-2. As any good poker player would tell you, if the dealer has you with a 7-2 offsuit, he can just leave the table with a smile on his face and think that he’s eventually taking all of your money on this hand. That was the case with Price. The two teams traded runs, with the Red Sox winning the game 8-3. Price picked up the victory, being all in on his powerful left hand.
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The win on Fenway’s green table earned Price a 13-8 record and improved his ERA to 3.97. He may have had some bad times this season, but he’s also been a workhorse. He’s pitched 183.2 innings, the most on the staff, and has struck out 186 batters. The next closest in both categories is Rick Porcello, with 172.2 innings and 145 strikeouts. In his last seven starts, Price is 4-1, including three straight wins, with a 2.44 ERA. He’s doing the job that he was paid to do in the offseason, just when the Red Sox need him the most.
If his hot dealing continues, Price will be cashing in his chips in the postseason and make some serious bank with a World Series championship. That is, if everyone on the team is willing to pay the same price. Although, it would be nice to have four aces in Boston’s hand, too.