How Former Red Sox Catcher Helped Revive Relief Pitcher

The Boston Red Sox bullpen owes a huge assist to Jason Varitek for steering a prominent relief pitcher in the right direction.

Garrett Whitlock has settled into Boston’s setup role with a 2.63 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings this season. The former starting pitcher has allowed just two earned runs in 23 appearances since the start of July.

Whitlock credited Varitek for sparking the dominant stretch. Per MassLive’s Christopher Smith, the former Red Sox catcher suggested that the right-handed pitcher move from the third base to first base side of the pitching mound.

“It was just a conversation I had with Tek,” Whitlock said. “I don’t remember how he brought it up. But he’s the one that brought it up. Then I talked to AC (Alex Cora) about it.”

Varitek reached out to Whitlock after he allowed two hits, two walks and a run to the Milwaukee Brewers on May 26. He since has a 1.59 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 34 innings.

“Things have kind of gone good since then,” Whitlock said.

Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey also said Varitek had “a big part” in Whitlock’s ascent into a high-leverage option.

“It gives him a little bit more room for error and ways to attack the zone and ability to maybe hide the ball a touch longer there,” Bailey said of Whitlock’s mound change.

Varitek remembered Whitlock throwing from the first base side during his sensational 2021 rookie season. The Red Sox encouraged a move toward third base in an attempt to improve his command of offspeed pitches.

“I’ve been around Whit for a long time,” Varitek said. “He wasn’t right. And if you’re healthy and you’re not right, (take a) deeper dive.”