Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
Red Sox starting pitcher Jake Bennett offers solid outing in MLB debut vs. Astros
âIt was just an unreal experience. ⌠Itâs a dream come true.â
It’s no simple task to start in place of Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet.
It’s certainly not easy to do so in your MLB debut, at Fenway Park, against a hard-hitting Houston Astros lineup.
Nevertheless, Jake Bennett did it, and he did it well.
Bennett, 25, was officially called up from Triple-A Worcester Friday to fill Crochet’s spot in the rotation after he landed on the injured list with shoulder inflammation earlier in the week.
Bennett hardly looked like a rookie making his big-league debut. He struck out the ever-dangerous Yordan Alvarez in the first inning and went on to toss five solid innings of work for a team in need of just that: a solid outing.
Advertisement:
He allowed one earned run, a solo home run by Astros leadoff hitter Carlos Correa in the third inning, to put Boston down 1-0.
At times, even a one- or two-run deficit has felt insurmountable for this year’s Red Sox team.
Run support has often been hard to come by for Boston’s starting pitchers this year, whether they had a good or bad outing. Luckily for Bennett, though, he received three runs by way of a Jarren Duran home run in the bottom half of the same frame he gave up Correa’s homer in.
Advertisement:
Bennett finished the night with three strikeouts, 10 swing-and-misses, five hits, and two walks on 85 pitches (58 strikes). Considering he needed 44 pitches to get through his first two innings, he ultimately settled in nicely and picked up the win.
After the game, Bennett said his first big-league start was something he’ll never forget.
“It was just an unreal experience, you know,” Bennett told reporters. “Words, they really can’t even put it into perspective. It’s a dream come true.”
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy and Bennett are fairly acquainted with each other. Tracy, who managed his first game at Fenway Park, was Worcester’s manager less than a week ago. Tracy managed Bennett for all five of his Triple-A starts prior to getting promoted.
Bennett said it was nice “to have a familiar face” in Tracy there for his MLB debut, and Tracy felt similarly.
“There’s comfort with that for me, for sure, because I know the kid,” Tracy said of Bennett. “Like, I know him better than anybody here as far as watching him and what he’s capable of doing.”
Advertisement:
Tracy was impressed with Bennett’s performance and detailed their interactions after Bennett’s night on the mound was done.
“He did a fantastic job,” Tracy said. “Very, very even-keeled. Even after we pulled him, [I] smiled, I gave him a hug, and he was like, ‘Yeah, that was awesome.’ You don’t get a ton of up or down with him, just business.
“And again, I keep saying it, but it was a really, really good job for his debut.”
Bennett became the first Red Sox pitcher since Juan Pena in 1999 to start and allow one or zero runs while earning a win in their debut at Fenway.
Bennett praised the Fenway crowd and said he’s thankful to have made his debut there.
“It’s incredible. Incredible atmosphere and I’m super blessed to be able to do it,” Bennett said of his home ballpark.
Be civil. Be kind.
Read our full community guidelines.To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address