Boston Red Sox: Rick Porcello delivers immaculate performance in Tampa
Boston Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello got more than enough run support in leading the team to their eighth straight victory.
Watch out American League. If Rick Porcello turns back into that guy who won the 2016 CY Young winner, the Boston Red Sox are going to be a tough team to beat.
With the dominance of Chris Sale, along with the solid pitching of Drew Pomeranz, Wednesday night’s performance by Porcello is definitely something to smile about.
In the Red Sox 8-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, Porcello had it going on in clearly his best start of the season.
The right-handed pitcher allowed just two runs in sixth innings while striking out seven. Porcello’s solid outing included an immaculate inning in which he threw the minimum nine pitches to strike out three Rays batters. The fifth inning feat made history as he was just the fourth Red Sox pitcher to ever do so, the second this season.
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"“It’s hard to keep track when you don’t throw a ball or anything like that,” Porcello said of the feat, via MLB.com. “I didn’t realize it until Blaine [Boyer] came up here and said, ‘I got that ball for you.’ And I was like, ‘What ball are you talking about?’ He said, ‘The immaculate inning.’More from Chowder and Champions3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster DeadlineMLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 SeasonRed Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win"
Locked in
The fact Porcello wasn’t aware he pitched MLB’s eight immaculate inning of the season showed how locked in he was on the mound.
In a season in which he has gone from a 20-game winner to a 14-game loser, the reigning American League Cy Young winner is trying to find a way to savage a rather frustrating season.
Overall, Rick Porcello was happy he could help the team continue their winning ways. Staked to a 6-0 lead, Porcello was finally given some run support that has been missing all season. He didn’t waste it as he followed up a dominant performance by Sale with his own masterpiece.
"“We seem to be firing on all cylinders,” Porcello said. “Chris [Sale] pitched a [heck] of a game [Tuesday] and got us the win there. Tonight, we came out and scored some runs. The bullpen came in and did a heck of a job, so that’s kind of the recipe for us. We have to continue to do that.”"
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If he can pitch the way he did Wednesday night the rest of the way and into the playoffs, the Boston Red Sox will have perhaps the best starting rotation one thru five assuming David Price returns to form.