Richard Fitts on Monday tossed one of his most dominant performances since the Red Sox acquired him from the Yankees in the Alex Verdugo trade last offseason.
Red Sox prospect Richard Fitts throws before an exhibition game against the Rangers at Globe Life Field on March 25. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)Getty Images
The 24-year-old righty allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out five in 6 scoreless innings. He recorded 20 swings and misses against Rochester batters in Triple-A Worcester’s 3-1 win.
He got 12 swings and misses with his slider, which he threw 40 times. He also recorded six swings and misses with his four-seam fastball, which he threw 25 times. His four-seamer averaged 94.2 mph and topped out at 95.3 mph.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder also threw 11 changeups (two swings and misses) and one cutter, according to Baseball Savant.
He filled the strike zone. He landed 55 of his 77 pitches for strikes (71.4% strikes).
Fitts improved to 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 24 outings (23 starts). He has 111 strikeouts and 37 walks in 116 ⅔ innings.
He has had an up and down year he has dominated since the beginning of August. He has a 2.38 ERA (34 innings, nine runs) over his past six starts.
This was arguably his second best start since joining the Red Sox. He took a perfect game into the eighth inning. In that one, he recorded 15 swings and misses. He threw 36 sliders, 32 fastballs and 14 changeups. His four-seamer averaged 94.4 mph and topped out at 96.3 mph, per Baseball Savant. He landed 65 of his 82 pitches (79.3%) for strikes.
