The Boston Red Sox are in the Bronx tonight to face the New York Yankee and with the magic number at two, a win puts them one step closer to clinching the division for a third straight season.
Much has been made of the Red Sox miraculous season, but the Yankees are still not far behind. There have been many unsung heroes for the Red Sox this year, from deadline acquisitions Ian Kinsler and Steve Pearce to surprise bullpen rock Ryan Brasier. However, in spite of the praise he’s received in the second half, David Price is the biggest reason the Red Sox are in the position they are in.
He starts tonight against Yankees ace Luis Severino in what could be the division clincher. Price’s second half has been unreal with a stellar 1.56 ERA in 57.2 IP. He has only given up 10 runs post-All-Star Break and was absolutely dealing in his starts against potential ALCS matchups against the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros, giving up only two runs over 14 innings.
The 33-year-old has been the rock of a suddenly suspect Red Sox starting staff down the stretch, as Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Sale continue to rehab into form. Boston also won 10 of Price’s last 11 starts, so he is always keeping the Sox in the game and giving them a chance to win. The numbers that Price has posted for the 2018 campaign are good, but they don’t tell the full story.
Price posted a 15-6 record this year, with a 3.42 ERA in 165 2/3 innings. But those numbers, especially the ERA, are askew. Taking out Price’s two starts against the Yankees in which he went a combined four innings and gave up 12 earned runs, his ERA plummets from 3.42 to 2.84. Price went an inning against the Yankees in April and gave up four runs, then had to exit because of supposed carpal tunnel issues. Then there was the Sunday Night Baseball debacle where Price gave up eight runs, including a career-worst five homers en route to a blowout loss to the Yankees. Those two starts have greatly ballooned his ERA, but factoring in his second half, he has been the most consistent starter on the Red Sox and the clear-cut ace with Sale on the shelf with shoulder problems.
It’s easy to hate on Price. He lashes out at the media, and many fans still haven’t forgiven him for the dust up that took place between him and Dennis Eckersley last year. He seems often unwilling to bend on seemingly small issues, and doesn’t give the fans a ton of love either. But there is no denying his talent.
He puts up numbers consistently in the regular season. This season is eerily reminiscent of the 2015 stretch run, where price dominated for the Toronto Blue Jays en route to a six-game series loss against the eventual champion Kansas City Royals. The biggest knock on Price is the fact that he can’t get the job done come October. This could be the year he finally does.
I’ll admit I’m biased—I have been a massive David Price defender since day one, so it feels good to be able to rub it in a little bit. But I fully believe that David Price should start Game 1 of the ALDS this year.
With Sale not fully back to his Cy Young caliber form, he will most likely not be as strong with only three days rest—considering he can’t even do six innings yet on a full five days rest. David Price should get the ball in Game 1. Coming back in Game 4, he can either clinch a series or send it to Game 5 where the unfortunate opponent will have Sale waiting in the wings.
Red Sox fans, face the facts—this is the redemption of David Price, and tonight will be just another hurdle on the way to a fourth duck boat parade in this millennium.
