David Price Becomes First Red Sox Starter To Throw 7 Innings, Gas Masterson Strikes Out The Side In The Ninth
Remember when everyone was freaking out after David Price threw a stinker and Craig Kimbrel gave up a three-run bomb to lose the game on Opening Day? Yeah.
Hey, it only took ten games, but a Red Sox starter finally went seven innings in a game, and, of course, it was Boston’s new ace, David Price. The left-hander tossed seven innings of two-run ball with nine strikeouts, including striking out the side in his last inning of work. Speaking of striking out the side, holy shit.
Kimbrel had everything going for him in the ninth. The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the best, if not the best, hitting team in the majors, and he carved right through the heart of their order. When you’re pumping 98mph and throwing wipeout sliders, the end result is what you saw at the end of that Edwin Encarnacion at-bat. You kinda just throw your bat out there and hope that you make contact, without having a friggin’ clue where the pitch is going to be.
Thanks to Dennis Eckersley on the NESN broadcast, it looks like we’ve got ourselves a new nickname for Craig Kimbrel. #GasMasterson
Aside from an RBI base hit by the Mayor of Ding Dong City, Travis Shaw, all the offense that the Red Sox needed was provided by Xander Bogaerts’ first home run of the 2016 season, a three-run blast in the third inning.
Also, just a little update on Hanley Ramirez’s defense at first base:
Final score: Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 4