
The Boston Red Sox started the season in Seattle. There’s been history, heroes, and zeros so far with more games to come.
I am going to assume Boston Red Sox ownership was happy to start the season in Seattle. Not because it would be good to ease into the season, but because games would be starting after 10 pm Eastern Time. Late starts likely mean fewer critical fans watching. Fortunately, the results were aggressively average, not apocalyptically poor. The Sox split their four-game series with the Seattle Mariners, winning the first and last games. Opening Day (which was really Opening Night for Bostonians) featured MLB history, and what I hope will not be the high point of the season.
Opening Day Storylines
Typically, Opening Day is just one of 162 games in a long season. A 6-4 win had Sox fans like myself dreaming of a perfect season. The real news was RF Tyler O’Neill’s eighth inning home run setting an MLB record. O’Neill has now recorded a home run in five consecutive Opening Days. He broke a tie with Todd Huntley, Gary Carter, and Yogi Berra of four consecutive Opening Day blasts. Also, his fielding certainly could have been used on Saturday. Instead, we watched RF Wilyer Abreu bobble a ball in the 10th, which led to a walk off single by CF Julio Rodriguez.
Alex Cora could celebrate as well on Thursday. Cora was 0-5 on Opening Day but removed the monkey from his back. This was likely his last Opening Day with the Sox, so good for him to end on a win. Cora’s contract may be the most interesting storyline of the season in Boston. Any chance Cora could be traded like Bill Belichick back in 2000?
The most important thing to remember from Opening Day is it showed the blueprint the Sox will need for success this season. Strong offense, timely defense, and respectable starting pitching will be the keys this year. 3B Rafael Devers will need to become Rafael Ripken to keep the Sox relevant this year. Devers hit a two-run homer and a double on Opening Day. In the two games he missed, the Sox mustered three runs, one of which was an extra inning freebie with the speedy CF Ceddanne Rafaela starting the tenth on second base. Without Devers, the offense is pedestrian at best, until SS Trevor Story returns to form or someone like 1B Triston Casas permanently asserts himself (and not just for half a season when already out of contention).
Pitching Promise
A quality start is defined as a starter going six or more innings while giving up less than three earned runs (ER). For the Sox, we’ll count five innings and under three runs as quality. After all, Cora did state the goal for the rotation is 25 innings each cycle. Lo and behold, the Sox received four quality starts from SPs Brayan Bello (five innings, two ERs), Nick Pivetta (six innings, one ER), Kutter Crawford (six innings, one ER), and Garrett Whitlock (five innings, one ER). These starts are promising for the franchise. The lack of run support in the middle games was concerning. Yes, Seattle has a buzzsaw rotation, but if the Sox want to consider their lineup their calling card, these starts need to be wins every time and twice on a doubleheader. Quality starts cannot be wasted if the Sox intend to compete.
The bullpen performed admirably as well in the series. I am still not used to how tall the 6’8″ RP Chris Martin looks on the mound, but he was dominant in two innings. Isn’t it a shame that he isn’t even the most famous or successful Chris Martin in the world? In games one and four, they kept the lead they were given. In the other games, they kept the game close. Unfortunately, the ‘pen did the same thing last year but faltered as the year went on. The balance between the rotation and bullpen will be something to follow all season.
Joely not Jansen?
Closer Kenley Jansen notched his first save of the season on Opening Day. He was not available Saturday due to back tightness. This meant in the tenth inning, with a lead, the Sox turned to RP Joely Rodriguez instead. Rodriguez has value as the only lefty in the bullpen but has yet to prove himself in a high leverage situation. The results went as expected for a pitcher with a 6.55 ERA in 11 games last year. Rodriguez faced the last three batters in the Mariners lineup, but still coughed up a two run lead. Jansen not pitching to avoid aggravating a back injury could be the result of one of two theories. Neither theory is a positive one, but let’s play devil’s advocate quickly.
It could be the work of the Sox protecting Jansen the asset, not Jansen the player. He is on the books for $16 million on an expiring contract. Needless to say, I doubt he ends the season in a pair of red socks. The second and more concerning one could be self-preservation on Jansen’s part. It is possible the culture of the Sox has become one with less sacrificing for the team and more as a proving ground for a future contract. An army of mediocre mercenaries have been assembled and disassembled in Boston over the last few years. Their short-term deals are great for “payroll flexibility“. They’re also great for removing culture by being an audition for future suitors. When the team does not invest in players, the players are less likely to invest in the team.
Extra Innings
The good news was that the following stop for the Sox was in Oakland. The Oakland Athletics (who some sources say have already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs) gave the Sox a chance to rattle off some confidence building wins. Three games versus the A’s resulted in three wins. Today they are off then play three games versus the Los Angeles Angels. The Sox need to come home with a strong record before facing the defending AL East champion Baltimore Orioles.
Lastly, make sure to find the time to watch the game on April 9 at 2:10pm EST. There will be a tribute to Tim Wakefield and his wife Stacey, both of whom passed away from cancer in the last year. The 2004 World Series Champions will be celebrated as well. Wakefield played an integral part on that championship team, but his greatest legacy was the impact he had on the community.
