When the Red Sox signed Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract this past offseason, this is exactly the kind of performance they had in mind.
No overpowering stuff. Not a lot of swing and miss. But a never ending stream of soft contact leading to one zero after another on the scoreboard.
Suarez was excellent on Friday, tossing eight shutout innings to deliver the best start by a Red Sox pitcher this season. His performance was badly needed on a night where runs were hard to come by for both sides, and after the game went to extra innings still scoreless the Red Sox finally broke through with a walk-off pinch hit single by Masataka Yoshida in the bottom of the 10th to win 1-0.
It was Yoshida’s first walk-off hit as a member of the Red Sox, and a moment veteran outfielder has envisioned ever since he came to Boston in 2023.
“That was really exciting,” Yoshida said via interpreter Yutaro Yamaguchi. “As a player whenever I can help the team win, that’s a great feeling.”
Initially it looked as if Suarez was in for a rough night. After getting a ground out to start the game, the Red Sox lefty allowed back-to-back singles, the latter of which looked like it was going to be a double to put runners at second and third with one out.
But Ceddanne Rafaela’s throw to the second base bag just barely beat Jahmai Jones’ slide, and while the Tigers designated hitter was initially ruled safe, the play was overturned on replay.
From there, Suarez went to work.
Suarez wound up retiring nine straight batters after that replay overturn, and 22 of the next 23 between the first and eighth innings. The only Detroit baserunner to reach during that stretch was Dillon Dingler on a fourth-inning walk, and Suarez quickly stranded him by drawing an inning-ending ground out four pitches later.
“He’s really good at what he does. He is,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, noting that he still believes Suarez’s early-season struggles were a product of his uneven spring workload stemming from the World Baseball Classic. “I hate using the preparation going into the season, but that was part of it. If he would’ve pitched four innings and five innings for Venezuela, then yes, right? But he didn’t do that.
“For a finesse pitcher, you need your reps,” Cora continued. “Velo was up today, command was outstanding, the mix of pitches was great, cutter, sinker, four, curveball, I mean, that’s pitching right there. That’s pitching.”
Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Tigers starter Casey Mize was every bit as dominant.
The former No. 1 overall pick retired the first eight Red Sox batters and faced only one over the minimum through the first five innings. Boston’s only baserunners through the first half of the game came on a Connor Wong ground rule double in the third, a Willson Contreras hit by pitch in the fourth and Rafaela walk in the fifth.
Red Sox left-hander Ranger Suarez fires in a pitch during Friday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Wong was immediately stranded after Anthony struck out to end the inning, Contreras was erased on a double play and Rafaela was caught stealing.
Boston finally got a real opportunity in the sixth after Caleb Durbin hit a leadoff double, but the Red Sox once again weren’t able to capitalize. Wong and Anthony each flew out, and while Durbin was able to tag up and advance to third on Anthony’s flyout, Contreras struck out to leave him 90 feet away.
Mize wound up recording two more outs in the seventh before he was pulled following an infield single to Jarren Duran. He finished with three hits allowed over 6 2/3 scoreless innings with one walk, one hit batsman and seven strikeouts.
The game remained scoreless heading into the eighth inning.
Suarez finished his day strong by recording his fourth consecutive 1-2-3 inning, capping off his outing by striking out Tigers rookie Hao-Yu Lee looking on a perfectly located sinker that just caught the lower inside of the zone. His final line was stellar, with two hits and one walk allowed over eight shutout innings with four strikeouts.
Dating back to his last start on Saturday, Suarez has now posted 14 consecutive scoreless innings.
“I think the rhythm, the rhythm I’ve been having the last two starts has helped me to locate my pitches,” Suarez said via interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez when asked about what’s clicked for him recently. “I think that’s a big part of it.”
The Red Sox could not take advantage of a two-out walk by Wong in the bottom of the eighth, and in the top of the ninth Aroldis Chapman came on and immediately ran into trouble, allowing Detroit’s first hit since the first inning on a leadoff single by Javier Baez.
Boston Red Sox left fielder Masataka Yoshida smiles after his game-winning hit in the 10th inning. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Baez was caught stealing — with the initial safe call overturned after review — but Chapman proceeded to walk Gleyber Torres, bringing up Tigers phenom Kevin McGonigle, who hit a grounder to first base. At that moment Contreras made perhaps the biggest play of the game, eschewing the easy force play on McGonigle at first and making the considerably more challenging throw to second to get the lead runner.
That immediately paid dividends when Jones hit a double down the left field line. Had Contreras not erased Torres, he would have easily scored the go-ahead run. Instead the Tigers had men at second and third with two outs, and Chapman was able to preserve the scoreless tie by striking out Dillon Dingler to end the inning.
Boston Red Sox third baseman Marcelo Mayer puts the tag on Detroit Tigers right fielder Jahmai Jones at Fenway Park. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
The game went to extras after the Red Sox couldn’t score in the bottom of the ninth, but after Garrett Whitlock sent the Tigers down 1-2-3 in the top of the 10th, Boston only needed a base hit with the game-winning ghost runner starting the inning at second base.
That happened to be Duran, who took third on a wild pitch and scored after Marcelo Mayer walked and Yoshida came through with the game-winning single.
Cora acknowledged afterwards that he knows it hasn’t been easy for Yoshida getting such uneven playing time, but he has full confidence in his ability to step up whenever his number is called.
“I know how he feels. You want to play. Let’s be honest. Masa was one of the best in Japan and we got him for a reason here, and he’s been banged up and now all of a sudden this is how we’re going to play the game with this roster and we’re going to maximize it,” Cora said. “It’s not easy, I bet sometimes he wonders what’s going to happen, but at the same time he prepares, he’s a great teammate, you see him doing his defensive work, running the bases, staying ready. He’s been good for us so far this season.”
With the win the Red Sox improved to 8-11 on the season. It also extended the club’s streak of walk-off wins wearing the Fenway Green alternate uniform. All seven of Boston’s wins in green since the City Connect uniform debuted last season have come in walk-off fashion.