1945 Red Sox have company after unusual development this season
Boston is currently relying on more young arms than it has in 77 years.
When Kutter Crawford takes the mound Saturday against the Yankees, he’ll be a part of Red Sox history regardless of how he fares.
Kutter is the fourth consecutive rookie pitcher to start for the Red Sox, joining Brayan Bello, Josh Winckowski, and Connor Seabold. This marks the first time since 1945 that the Red Sox have turned to that many rookie starters in a row, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The pitchers that year were Otey Clark, Dave Ferriss, Vic Johnson, and Randy Heflin, but you likely already knew that. The Red Sox went 1-3 in those games and were outscored 24-9.
This year, in the first three games of the streak, opponents have outscored Boston 25-11 – all losses to American League East foes. Bello allowed four earned runs in four innings, Winckowski six earned runs in five innings, and Seabold seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.
Crawford, currently 2-2 with a 5.04 ERA, will look to shift the momentum. All four are promising players but have struggled of late.
The Red Sox have four starting pitchers on the injured list – Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Rich Hill, and Michael Wacha – but Sale and Eovaldi won’t be out for long. Sale will make his season debut on Tuesday and Eovaldi will pitch for Worcester on Sunday.
After winning seven straight in late June, Boston has lost eight of 11 since.
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