Red Sox Spoil Rookie Pitcher's Excellent Debut With Embarrassing Loss To White Sox

The type of loss you just can't afford...

Sep 8, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Richard Fitts (80) walks to the dugout after being relieved during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

September in Major League Baseball is a time for exciting rookie debuts, and the Boston Red Sox were fortunate enough to witness one on Sunday.

Otherwise, the game was a complete disaster.

Starting pitcher Richard Fitts, called up to make his big-league debut on Sunday, pitched 5 2/3 excellent innings at Fenway Park. But Triston Casas made a costly error, Zack Kelly imploded in the ninth inning, and the Red Sox lost their third game of the season to the 33-111 Chicago White Sox.

The White Sox now have a .429 winning percentage against the Red Sox on the season, compared to .219 against every other opponent.

Fitts, who was the headliner of the Alex Verdugo trade in December with the rival New York Yankees, threw 66 pitches in his debut. He allowed two runs, both unearned, struck out two, walked one, and surrendered six hits.

Fitts used an effective three-pitch mix, with a four-seam fastball averaging 94.4 miles per hour, a mid-80s slider, and a low-80s sweeper. He generated five whiffs on 35 swings.

The rookie's efforts should have been enough to earn him a win in his big-league debut, but he was instead in line for the loss when his line became final. Wilyer Abreu belted a solo shot to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth, but Kelly's five-run blowup sealed the deal.

The Red Sox chose to use Kelly in the ninth over Chris Martin, who hadn't pitched since Tuesday. Christopher Smith of MassLive reported after the game that Martin was sick, and manager Alex Cora believes he will be available Monday.

Boston native Luis Guerrero also made his major league debut, coming in to clean up Kelly's mess. He induced two flyouts, one of which resulted in an inherited runner scoring from third, without allowing a baserunner.

Worst of all, the Red Sox blew a golden opportunity to gain ground in the American League wild-card standings. The Minnesota Twins were swept by the Kansas City Royals, so Boston remains four games back of the Twins with 19 games to play.

This has been a season of missed opportunities, and Sunday continued that trend. With the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees on deck this week, the Red Sox are staring down the barrel of extinction if they can't quickly right the ship.

More MLB: Red Sox Preseason Trade Was Worst Move Since Babe Ruth, Says Insider