Last weekend, the last-place Red Sox hosted their rival, the New York Yankees. On paper, despite star players Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton being out for the series, this wasn’t expected to be a close series. So it came as a surprise when the Red Sox walked it off in the tenth inning on Sunday to end up sweeping the Yankees in a four-game series. Sure, with home runs from Caleb Durbin, Masataka Yoshida, and more, the offense exceeded expectations against a team that was the best in the American League at one point. But it was the pitching rotation that was the clear standout.
What Red Sox Rotation Dominance Means
Going into this season, the Red Sox were hailed as having one of the best rotations not just in the American League but in all of baseball. With a reigning Cy Young candidate in Garrett Crochet, a solid veteran in Sonny Gray, and a pair of young homegrown pitchers in Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, this rotation would’ve been one to watch throughout the season. But due to the offense struggling, the team has fallen short of expectations. But this past weekend really showed the potential of this team.
Going up against a lineup that not only crushes home runs (122, first in MLB) but also moves well around the bases (fourth in walks, second in stolen bases) isn’t an easy feat, especially for a team that was 12-25 at home before last Thursday. It also doesn’t help that the starting rotation gets one of the worst run support groups in the league, ranking 28th as of June 30th. However, despite this, the starters dominated the Bronx Bombers, with pitching lines such as:
- Early: Six innings, two runs, 9/1 K/BB
- Tolle: Seven innings, one hit, 7/2 K/BB
- Jake Bennett: 6.1 innings, three hits, 3/2 K/BB
- Gray: 7.1 innings, one hit, 9/1 K/BB
If those lines weren’t enough evidence, Tolle took a perfect game into the sixth inning on Friday and Gray took a no-hitter into the eighth in his outing. The rotation has been dominant for a while now, but since the Red Sox are winning, it’s really time to highlight it, especially since the Yankees are one of the top teams in the league this season.
Best Rotation Even Without Crochet?
Going into the season, this rotation was supposed to be led by Crochet. The ace left-hander had arrived in Boston in 2025, and his first season was a massive success. He went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA and 255 strikeouts, finishing second in the AL Cy Young race behind Tarik Skubal. Coming off that season, though, expectations went high for him. At the start of the season, he struggled for a couple of starts, then would later get injured at the end of April. He has yet to return from the IL.
Despite this and a setback for Brayan Bello, the Red Sox rotation has still exceeded expectations given their standing on paper. With Gray, Tolle, Early, Bennett, and Ranger Suarez, the Red Sox have a streak of 12 consecutive quality starts (at least six innings, three runs or fewer); this is one of the best stretches in franchise history. The Red Sox record for quality starts in a row was set in 1988, with 14.
What’s Next for Boston?
The question that is up in the air right now is: what does this mean? What’s next for this Red Sox team? And honestly, it’s still just a little too early to judge that. Not by much, but July is just around the corner. That’s three whole months of baseball left. In a below-average American League this season (with only five of the 15 teams above .500 as of June 30th), the Red Sox are only four and a half games out of the wild card race.
With only one team above .500 between Boston and the All-Star Break (Chicago White Sox), it’s set to be an easy road till the break. But if they can keep this up afterward, the trade rumors around Gray and the whispers of an all-lefty rotation (as intriguing as it sounds) can stop. They have the opportunity to take advantage and maybe even improve by the deadline.
Main Photo Credits: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
