Welcome back, baseball.
Here are my first seven questions of the regular season. As always, my inbox is open for your responses:
1. How long can the Red Sox rotation keep this up?
Red Sox starting pitching is off to a historically-excellent start. Who saw that coming?
Not only did each member of the rotation meet or exceed Alex Cora’s ask of pitching at least five innings in their season debuts, but Brayan Bello’s and Nick Pivetta’s second starts extended the streak to seven games. Dating back to the end of last season, Pivetta’s four consecutive starts of five-plus innings without giving up more than one run and issuing no more than one walk is the most by Sox pitcher since Chris Sale in 2018; Pedro Martinez (‘02), Lee Stange (‘67), Tex Hughson (‘43), and Cy Young (1903, 1908) are the only other pitchers to achieve the feat.
According to the club’s media relations, their collective 1.54 ERA is the best mark through seven games since the Live Ball Era began in 1920. Entering Thursday, Boston’s plus-15 run differential ranked sixth-best in the Majors and first in their division.
Starting pitching has made and broken this team for decades. When injuries thinned the ‘23 rotation, forcing the bullpen into overtime, any hope of stealing a wild card evaporated. Conversely, in eight prior instances of the rotation beginning a year with seven consecutive starts of at least five innings, they went on to the postseason seven times (‘18, ‘17, ‘09, ‘04, ‘03, ‘75, ‘67). 1978 was the lone exception, as Bucky Dent’s Game 163 homer sent the Yankees into October, instead.
With the rotation leading the way, the Red Sox are 5-2, their best mark through seven games since ‘18. This is the 27th time the club has begun 5-2 or better. They’ve made the postseason 10 times when getting off to such a start, and won five championships. (It could’ve been six if the 1904 New York Giants hadn’t viewed the newer American League as inferior to the older, more established National League and refused to compete, resulting in the cancellation of the second World Series.)
2. How many bases will Jarren Duran steal in 2024?
Duran made Red Sox history by stealing five bases in five games. Boston’s leadoff man enters Friday with six in seven, tied for the MLB lead, and more than several teams’ entire lineups combined.
In his breakout season last year, the 27-year-old outfielder stole 24 bases in just 102 games before a season-ending toe injury and surgery.
This year, he and coach Kyle Hudson originally set a goal of 50 steals, but they’re already reevaluating and aiming higher. Last season, Ronald Acuña Jr., Corbin Carroll, and Esteury Ruiz stole at least 50 apiece, after no Major Leaguer had reached the mark since 2017.
The franchise record is Jacoby Ellsbury’s 70 steals in 2009. No other Sox player has ever stolen more than 54, Tommy Harper’s 1973 total.
3. How high will Kenley Jansen climb on MLB’s all-time saves list?
With his 422nd career save in Wednesday afternoon’s series finale, Jansen moved into a tie with Billy Wager for sixth on MLB’s all-time saves list. He’s two away from tying John Franco at No. 5. Then there’s Francisco Rodríguez (437), Lee Smith (478), Trevor Hoffman (601), and Mariano Rivera (652).
Jansen came into this season averaging 36 saves over his previous three campaigns. The veteran closer converted 29 saves in 33 opportunities in 2023, and began his sophomore Sox season on the same pace as the last, with two saves in his first three appearances.
His health will be a key factor in how far he moves up the list. He was unavailable for part of the Seattle series due to the same back issues that plagued him during spring training.
4. Did you know about the pitcher loophole in the ghost-runner-on-second rule?
The Red Sox got creative to beat the A’s in extra innings on Tuesday, and most people learned something new in the process.
As Cora emptied the bench and gave up the DH, he had to navigate around having a pitcher in the lineup.
After Reese McGuire came in to pinch-hit and Connor Wong made the last out of the top of the 10th, Cora subbed Josh Winckowski into Wong’s spot in the lineup.
But when the top of the 11th began, it was No. 8 hitter Wilyer Abreu who began the frame on second base, because the rules stipulate that if the pitcher (or his spot in the lineup) makes the final out of the inning, the previous hitter can be used as the ghost runner instead. Ergo, Abreu.
Andrew Bailey reminded Cora of the obscure loophole. (He spent the last four seasons as the San Francisco Giants’ pitching coach, and the rule was far more relevant to the National League before they implemented the Universal DH two years ago.)
5. Will the Red Sox play at the Oakland Coliseum again?
Not against the Athletics, they won’t.
On Thursday, less than 24 hours after the Sox completed a three-game sweep of the beleaguered Bay Area ball club, the A’s announced that 2024 will be their final season at the Coliseum. After over half a century, the A’s will relocate to Sutter Health Park, the Sacramento minor-league ballpark currently home to the Triple-A River Cats, for the 2025-27 seasons while they attempt to make their chaotic Las Vegas plan a reality.
It’s the latest in the death-by-a-million-cuts greedy, miserly A’s ownership has inflicted upon their fans for years. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the difference between what the A’s were willing to pay to remain in Oakland for the next three years and what the city offered was approximately $35 million.
“Oakland offered a deal that was fair to the A’s and was fiscally responsible for our city,” said Mayor Sheng Thao in a statement Thursday. “We wish the A’s the best and will continue our conversations with them on facilitating the sale of their share of the Coliseum site. The City of Oakland will now focus on advancing redevelopment efforts at the Coliseum.”
6. Which 2004 player will make the most memorable appearance at the home opener?
Tuesday’s home opener will be an emotionally-charged day, as the Red Sox welcome back members of their 2004 squad to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the historic, curse-breaking run that changed baseball in Boston forever.
Here are some fun ideas to commemorate the occasion …
David Ortiz should hit a pregame home run to commemorate his back-to-back walk-offs (only one was a homer) in the ALCS. Perhaps Kevin Millar can film some footage on an old camcorder, like he used to do in the clubhouse. Will Manny Ramirez go through the Green Monster door for old time’s sake?
7. Will the home opener be sold out?
As of Thursday, there’s still plenty of room at the home opener, with tickets going for as little as $67 on MLB.com.
Apparently, even the team’s best start since 2018, a tribute to Tim Wakefield, and an ‘04 squad-packed pregame celebration isn’t enough to pack the house these days.
