If you’ve watched the Boston Red Sox this season, you know starting pitching is the main reason for the team’s 5-1 start.
You might be surprised at just how good the rotation has been, however.
Right-hander Chris Sale surrendered just one run over five innings in the Sox’s 4-2 extra-innings win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. And with Sale’s performance, Boston’s staff set a new standard for early season excellence.
Check out this stat:
The 2018 Red Sox are the only team in MLB history whose starting pitchers allowed 1 or 0 runs in each of the first 6 games of a season (source: @EliasSports). It is the longest streak for Red Sox starters at any point in a season since May 12-20, 2000 (8 straight).
— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) April 4, 2018
Wow.
Now, is it fair to expect the rotation to keep this up over the course of 162 games? Of course not, and the fact that Boston has faced poor competition in the early going needs to be taken into account.
Still, the early returns on Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello and fill-ins Hector Velazquez and Brian Johnson should make Sox fans optimistic for the team’s chances this season. In fact, the rotation is the primary reason for why we think Boston ultimately will win its third straight American League East title.
