Boston Red Sox

5 things to know about Collin McHugh, who just signed with the Red Sox

The 32-year-old World Series champion is versatile on the hill and has his own podcast

Collin McHugh, right, spent six seasons with the Houston Astros. Barry Chin/Globe Staff

By Jenna Ciccotelli

2 minutes to read

The Red Sox signed right-hander Collin McHugh to a 1-year deal Thursday, designating Hector Velazquez for assignment in the process.

Here are five things to know about McHugh, 32, who was an 18th-round pick by the Mets in 2008.

After a tumultuous start in the bigs, he broke out in Houston.

In a three-year career at Berry College, McHugh went 13-9 with five saves (4.29 ERA through 171.1 innings) before joining the Mets organization after his junior campaign. He became the first player from Berry to play in a major league game.

He made his major league debut for New York in 2012, pitching seven scoreless innings before being demoted and eventually traded to Colorado, then was claimed off waivers by Houston after the 2013 season.

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With Houston, he was 58-35 with a 3.63 ERA. He pitched as a starter from 2014-17, as a reliever in ’18, and appeared in both roles last season.

Since 2014, he’s remained undefeated in September and October in the regular season (17-0). In the 2017 ALCS, McHugh no-hit the Yankees through four innings of relief in Game 3.

Elbow soreness ended his season in 2019.

After allowing one run through 14.2 innings last August, McHugh rode out the rest of the year on the injured list. Before that, he had held opponents to a .208 average, striking out 40 while walking 16 to post a 2.67 ERA in 27 relief appearances. He had also started in eight games.

He has his own podcast.

“The Twelve Six” debuted on Dec. 29, 2018, and McHugh has since produced 12 episodes that feature baseball players and personalities.

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“Today’s game is filled with some of the most interesting and exciting personalities in the history of baseball,” reads the podcast’s description on Spotify. “On-field, off-field and everything in-between, enjoy a conversation among baseball people, and get to know the players and the game you already thought you knew.”

“Being on the opposite side of the microphone and having to ask the right questions and be able to listen [and] continue the conversation is different for me,” McHugh said on Astros Bases Loaded. “It’s fun for me to do something that’s new for me.”

Guests have included Washington Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle (recorded before the 2019 season), Alex Bregman, ESPN’s Jeff Passan, and most recently, Hall of Famer and commentator John Smoltz, in an episode released Feb. 10.

He got a second chance on the Cape.

McHugh attended Berry before the school was affiliated with the NCAA, and his summer on Cape Cod in 2007 was a crucial moment in his career. According to The Houston Chronicle, he was offered the opportunity to try out as a temporary player for the Chatham Anglers, filling a roster spot while other players finished postseason runs.

When he was let go, the Wareham Gatemen picked him up, and he threw 17 innings with a 2.65 ERA alongside his future big-league teammate Dallas Keuchel.

He was the first pitcher in more than two decades to ride the bullpen cart.

When the Diamondbacks brought the bullpen cart back in 2018, McHugh was the first major league player to take a ride out to the mound in more than 20 years. McHugh, who was getting used to his role as a reliever after appearing as a starter for the first part of his career, decided to take advantage of it.

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“It was there, they provided it for us, so I decided to give it a shot,” McHugh told ESPN.

 

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