Shane Baz Tosses Another Gem Against Boston Red Sox, Makes Tampa Bay Rays History

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Shane Baz continued his torrid comeback against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, allowing just two hits and two earned runs in 7.0 innings.

Sep 17, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shane Baz (11) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Tropicana Field. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Shane Baz, who did not play at all in 2023 and didn't make his 2024 debut until July, has suddenly become one of baseball's hottest pitchers.

The Tampa Bay Rays right-hander went 7.0 innings deep against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, allowing just two hits and two earned runs. That set the table for the Rays to win 8-3, as Baz improved to 3-3 on the season in the process.

Over his last five starts, Baz is 3-1 with a 2.03 ERA, 0.742 WHIP and .119 batting average against. He has tossed at least 5.0 innings in each of those outings, never once giving up more than three hits.

As noted by Bally Sports Sun, that makes Baz the first pitcher in Rays history to post five straight starts of 5.0-plus innings with three-or-fewer hits allowed. The previous franchise record belonged to Blake Snell and Shane McClanahan, who had streaks of four such starts in a row back in 2018 and 2022, respectively.

Baz is now 3-3 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.114 WHIP and 1.7 WAR through 12 starts this season.

The 25-year-old right-hander underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery in March 2022, then had Tommy John surgery in September 2022. That cost him the entire 2023 season, and he couldn't even start a minor league rehab assignment until late May 2024.

Nearly two years post-operation, Baz has the green light to toss 90-plus pitches, doing so in five of his last seven starts. Between his innings-eating capabilities and tendency to force swings and misses, Baz has proven himself a key part of Tampa Bay's pitching staff moving forward.

The Rays will also be getting McClanahan back from Tommy John in 2025, just like they got Baz, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs back in 2024. That group, plus Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot and Zack Littell, could combine to give Tampa Bay one of the top rotations in the game moving forward.

Baz's next start will likely come against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

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