Kyle Harrison made his debut in the Boston Red Sox rotation on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays. He was acquired at the trade deadline as part of the return for Rafael Devers, but had spent most of the season with Triple-A Worcester before being recalled in early September.
Entering Saturday, Harrison had pitched one game for the Red Sox — a three-inning shutout performance out of the bullpen. He’s always been seen as a starting pitcher, though, making Saturday’s outing highly anticipated.
It was worth the wait. Harrison fired six innings of one-run baseball, allowing four hits and striking out five while walking two. He threw 86 pitches and left the game with a 3-1 lead.
Harrison used a four-pitch mix, but primarily threw his four-seam fastball and slurve. He mixed in changeups and cutters as well, but the two former pitches accounted for the majority of his offerings. He’s previously used a changeup, but the Red Sox helped him add a cutter in the minor leagues.
His fastball was his best pitch. It only averaged 93 mph, but his low release point and high vertical movement create a flat approach angle, helping the pitch play up. Some pitches floated over the heart of the plate, but he generally kept the ball up where it plays the best. On the outing, his fastball had a 76% strike rate and seven whiffs.
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Harrison’s slurve was his primary breaking pitch, and it also performed well. Against righties, he threw it both backdoor and to the back foot for called strikes and whiffs. Against lefties, he kept it on the glove side away from peril.
He used a cutter to right-handed hitters as well, although he didn’t command it well enough to be a consistent strike-getter. It’s a new pitch for him, though, and more time should help him find a better feel for it. He also used a changeup and punched out one hitter with it, but like his cutter, it’s not as polished as either of his other two pitches.
The Red Sox went on to win the game, 6-3. With seven games remaining, Harrison could get one more turn in the rotation, although things could get messy depending on the playoff picture. Either way, Harrison came through in a big way on Saturday and should be a big part of the future for Boston.
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