David Price just can’t solve the Yankees in New York.
The Boston Red Sox left-hander allowed six runs (four earned) over 5 1/3 innings Wednesday night while giving up three home runs in a 10-1 loss to the Yankees. He now has a career 4.83 ERA at Yankee Stadium and is 0-6 with a whopping 9.79 ERA in the Bronx since joining the Red Sox.
That’s really bad.
But MLB Network’s Eduardo Perez presented an intriguing argument Thursday morning for why the Red Sox shouldn’t panic over Price, who’s been pitching well everywhere outside New York.
David Price's continued struggles against the Yankees are reason to worry for the #DirtyWater #RedSox…right? @PerezEd : Not so fast. pic.twitter.com/Fa3JZpYqNX
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) September 20, 2018
“The bottom line is this: He’s going to pitch Game 2 (of the American League Division Series), and it’s going to be at Fenway (Park),” Perez said of Price on SiriusXM’s “MLB Network Radio.” “And he gives up a lot of fly balls to right field. Usually a lot of guys are late. It’s a higher percentage with right-handed hitters that they hit fly balls, can of corn to Mookie Betts in right field when David Price is on the mound.”
Yankee Stadium has an unusually short right field porch, though, measuring just 314 feet down the right field line. Of the three homers Price allowed Wednesday night — two to Luke Voit, one to Miguel Andujar — none traveled farther than 341 feet.
All three would have been fly ball outs at Fenway Park. Take out those three homers, and Price allowed just two hits Wednesday night.
“We saw Voit, two pitches away, those are routine fly balls anywhere else, or warning track shots,” Perez said. “What do you get (in New York)? You get home runs.”
To be clear: Price allowing 300-plus-foot fly balls in any ballpark still isn’t a healthy trend. He also could do a lot of things better — he walked four batters Wednesday night — and will need to locate his pitches better if he wants to have success in the postseason.
But it does seem like the 33-year-old’s pitching style is particularly ill-suited for Yankee Stadium. And Boston and New York meet in the ALDS (which seems likely), the Red Sox can avoid that scenario by pitching Price at home in Game 2 of the five-game set.
