The Boston Red Sox played a late game on the West Coast last night, against the Los Angeles Angels.
The game resulted in a 1-0 victory for Boston, and extended Los Angeles’ losing streak to 12 games.
The star of the game, for Boston, wasn’t an offensive player: it was Michael Wacha, the starting pitcher.
While Angels’ pitchers were up to the task last night, their hitters just couldn’t solve Wacha, who threw a complete game shutout to secure the victory for Boston.
“In case you went to bed early last night, we’re here to tell you that Michael Wacha threw a complete game shutout,” the Red Sox’s Twitter account wrote on Tuesday.
In case you went to bed early last night, we’re here to tell you that Michael Wacha threw a complete game shutout. pic.twitter.com/Jydrewruav
— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 7, 2022
It was a truly masterful performance, one in which Wacha allowed just three hits and a walk, striking out six hitters.
The veteran right-hander, a postseason hero back when he was with the St. Louis Cardinals in the early and mid-2010s, is still somehow only 30.
A Huge Career Turnaround
Injuries and underperformance have ruined his recent seasons: the last time he was a consistently effective hurler was in 2018, when he had a 3.20 ERA in 84.1 innings in St. Louis.
After that, he posted ERAs of 4.76, 6.62, and 5.05 in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively.
That’s why his recent performance is refreshingly surprising: he has a 4-1 record and a 1.99 ERA so far with the Red Sox in 2022.
In nine starts, he has pitched 49.1 innings and allowed just 30 hits, with 15 walks and 33 strikeouts.
His 0.91 WHIP validates his success, and he has been one of the main reasons why Boston is starting to make up some of the lost ground in the standings.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Red Sox are 28-27, the first time they are over .500 in several weeks.
Wacha has been huge for them.
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