Boston Red Sox reliever Ryan Watson performed admirably in his major league debut against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.
Watson came into the game in the sixth inning with two runner on base, and after walking batter, got out of the bases-loaded jam.
Watson also pitched in the seventh and eight innings, allowing zero runs. His performance was a stabilizing presence for the Red Sox, who had given up a handful of early runs due to a rough first inning from starter Sonny Gray.
Following the game, which Boston ultimately lost in extra innings, Gray praised Watson’s work in relief.
“If we’re being honest, he gave us a chance,” Gray said, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “He saved us. He’s the reason we had a chance to tie it at the end. He saved the bullpen. … To make a pitch, get it challenged, make another pitch, get it challenged, and then come in, a 3-2 count with the bases loaded with two outs and to make another pitch, that was impressive. And that was a big turning point in the game. … I was happy for him to do that, especially in his debut.”
The most interesting element of Watson’s debut was his two strike three calls against Eugenio Suarez getting overturned via ABS with the bases loaded, as alluded to by Gray. Watson rolled with the punches and was able to get Suarez out on a grounder.
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