What Surprised Key Red Sox Reliever In First Spring Appearance

The radar gun caught the eye of Boston Red Sox reliever Chris Martin when he made his first spring training appearance Tuesday against minor leaguers on a backfield at JetBlue Park.

The veteran right-hander was surprised to see 95 to 96 mph flash on the board after some pitches as he tries to ramp up to be ready for Opening Day, which is just a little over a week away.

“I saw the velo,” Martin told reporters, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “I don’t know if I’ve thrown that hard in a backfield game maybe since I was back there (as a minor leaguer). But everything felt good.”

According to Smith, Martin’s fastball averaged 95.7 mph last season, so his velocity wasn’t out of the norm. But getting to that point is something the 37-year-old builds up to and doesn’t come out of the gates throwing.

“I don’t know if I’ve thrown that hard in spring training,” Martin said. “Probably when I was trying to make teams. Velo last year I was probably 92, 93 back there. So that’s encouraging, a couple miles per hour up.”

The up-tick in velocity didn’t yield better results for Martin, who pitched two innings while allowing three runs on three hits, per Smith.

But Martin did come out of his outing feeling healthy, which was the most important result. Martin has dealt with groin tightness, per Smith, that has set him back this spring.

Getting Martin, who was exceptional in 2023 with a 1.05 ERA in 55 appearances, and Kenley Jansen healthy and on track to start the season is key for Boston. The two arguably are the most important relievers in the Red Sox bullpen.

Martin took a small step toward being ready for Opening Day and the increase in velocity this early on was just a plus.