The winning pitcher in Tuesday’s Red Sox-Twins game threw just one pitch
The rise of analytics in baseball has diminished the importance of some once-revered statistics, ranging from batting average to pitching wins.
If you’ve wondered why pitching victories would be devalued, look no further than Tuesday night’s Red Sox-Twins game in Boston.
The Red Sox led 4-3 in the top of the fifth inning. The Twins had a runner on second base with two outs when starting pitcher Tanner Houck was replaced by Josh Taylor.
Taylor threw a 95 mph sinker to Twins third baseman Luis Arraez, who grounded out to third, ending the top of the frame.
Boston padded its lead by scoring five times in the bottom half. In the sixth inning, Martin Perez took over for Taylor. Eight more runs would be scored by the teams, and Boston held on for an 11-9 victory.
The winning pitcher? It was Taylor, who threw just the one pitch. Boston used seven pitchers in the game. Two were credited with a hold and Hansel Robles, who pitched the ninth inning, got the save.
Houk, the starter who got 14 outs, got a no-decision.
The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham noted this was the first time since 2015 that a Red Sox pitcher got the win after throwing just one pitch.
It’s the third time this season a pitcher has gotten the win for one pitch. The others to do it: the Yankees’ Joely Rodriguez (Aug. 1) and Oakland’s Deolis Guerra (April 21).
In those other two instances, the winning pitcher’s team took the lead after he was on the mound. That wasn’t the case with in Tuesday’s Red Sox-Twins game, and that’s what was so quirky about Taylor’s victory.
The last time a Royals pitcher got the win for one pitch was Aug. 3, 2017. Ryan Buchter was the winner when KC beat Seattle 6-4.
