The Triple-A Worcester Red Sox opened their season at home on March 27. Fans got to see a fair few debuts at the level and Jake Bennett's Boston Red Sox organizational debut.
The left-handed pitcher was acquired in an offseason trade with the Washington Nationals in exchange for prospect Luis Perales. Bennett took the mound for the 4:10 PM game on Friday with a lot of eyes on him. Polar Park had a good crowd, while the Opening Day bout was aired on NESN because the Red Soc are off. It was a perfect storm to create as much buzz as possible for Bennett.
How did he look in his first regular-season action in the system? Bennett dazzled.
Bennett struck out the first batter he faced. In fact, he struck out three batters in the first, allowing just one single to former top prospect Ronny Mauricio. He added another strikeout in a perfect second inning, before adding a fifth strikeout in the third inning.
Red Sox newest pitching prospect Jake Bennett impresses in Triple-A debut
The Oklahoma product was pulled after facing one batter in the fourth inning (Mauricio reached on an error by the pitcher).
Bennett allowed one unearned run on two hits over three innings. He struck out five batters without walking any, and 44 of his 59 pitches (74.6%) were strikes (seven whiffs). Bennett didn’t get into a single three-ball count.
The two hits he allowed came off the bat at 98.8 MPH and 83 MPH. That 98.8 MPH hit was the only ball put into play against Bennett that was hard-hit (95 MPH or better). Bennett’s changeup looked great, his cutter flashed potential, and his fastball hit 95.1 MPH.
It was only three innings, but it was a cold day in Worcester, and it was Opening Day. The Red Sox were never going to have Bennett throw much more than 60 pitches (important to remember he didn’t pitch in 2024 and only threw 75 1/3 innings in 2025).
Outside of the short outing, there’s absolutely nothing for Red Sox fans to complain about after Bennett’s first time on the bump. It’s understandable to be upset that Perales is gone. He was one of the best pitching prospects in the system and was knocking on the big league roster's door at the end of the 2025 season.
However, Bennett was on demon time on Friday. He certainly made a strong statement with his debut performance, and Boston fans should expect more fireworks from the massive lefty as the year goes on.