The Boston Red Sox kicked off a major series with the Yankees at Fenway Park tonight and Rick Porcello took the hill with a tall task ahead of him.
It’s officially crunch time for the 2019 Red Sox as the Yankees are in town for a four-game stint. As dramatic as it sounds this series could very well decide the future of the Sox. In what has become a tradition when the games matter the most, Rick Porcello stepped his game up.
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A strong night from the righty set the tone for the rest of the evening. A lightning-quick 13 pitch first would be followed by a massive 7-run explosion by the Red Sox offense. The carriage would soon become a pumpkin once again as it would take Rick 47 pitches to get out of the second. Luckily for both Porcello and the Red Sox the rest of his night would cruise right on by.
The Boston offense wouldn’t quit as the evening grew into the night and neither did Pretty Ricky. We all know how stressful these Porcello outings can be as it feels damn near automatic that he’s going to give runs back to the opposition. But on the night he let just three Yankees cross the plate despite some sketchy moments.
This is the kind of outing that both Porcello and the Red Sox needed desperately. Not only did the offense just crush the Yankees but the pitching staff came through as well. It all started with that first inning from Porcello and his fight in the second only added fuel to the fire. Tonight was a game of two pitchers between Rick and Masahiro Tanaka, and it was Porcello that weathered the storm and came out on the other side.
When Porcello last faced the Yankees in London it was a different story as the juggernaut New York offense piled on. Tonight Rick was able to take his shots and keep fighting back which is a fantastic sight to see. With the Red Sox needing every win they can get a start like that can swing the momentum.
A final line of 6IP/6H/3R/1BB/5K is what Porcello walks away with and that’s a damn fine night of work. This hasn’t quite been the season Red Sox Nation had expected overall from the team and Porcello isn’t excluded from that. He now owns a 9-7 record which is far from anything to write home about but considering the beginning of the season, it’s a definite positive.
A game like tonight’s can be the spark that ignites the fire under a team and motivates them to reach new heights. If the Red Sox want to make a run at the postseason they’ll need Rick Porcello to be the pitcher he was when he won the Cy Young in 2016. He may not be able to be as dominant as he once was but he sure as hell can get close to it.
Boston is at a pivotal moment in their season and it’s all hands on deck. The momentum begins with the starting pitchers and Rick Porcello did his part to get the ball rolling tonight. With free agency looming in the not so distant future he needs every night to be a classic. If the Red Sox have any hopes of raising another banner in October, they’re going to need more lights-out performances like tonight from Rick Porcello