TAMPA -- Kyle Harrison, welcome to the pennant race.
The talented lefty, acquired by the Red Sox from the Giants in the June 15 trade of Rafael Devers, spent most of his summer at Triple-A Worcester refining his mechanics and pitch mix.
That could have him primed for the fall. In his first start and second appearance for the Red Sox, Harrison fired six strong innings (four hits, one run, five strikeouts) to help his team to a 6-3 victory over the Rays on Saturday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
“Amazing,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “His strike-throwing with the fastball is legit. And when he's around the zone, he's tough to hit. He was under control.”
Though Boston lost the 3-1 lead Harrison departed with, Trevor Story snapped a tie with a go-ahead, RBI single to right-center with one out in the top of the ninth.
With the American League standings turning into absolute madness, each game becomes increasingly crucial for the Red Sox, who improved to 85-70 to remain two games behind the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot.
The ultra-hot Guardians won their 10th game in a row to pull into a tie with the Astros for the third spot, just a game behind the Sox. Boston owns the head-to-head tiebreaker against all three of those teams by virtue of winning the season series.
The 24-year-old Harrison stepped up in Boston’s latest big game, mowing through Tampa Bay’s lineup with efficiency.
As Harrison methodically regathered himself for all those weeks in Worcester, pitching in big games down the stretch was far from his mind. But it was front and center on Saturday.
“It's huge,” Harrison said. “And like I said, I think that time in Worcester was really beneficial for me to go out there and attack the hitters with new stuff and new pitch grips. And I really needed that time to learn those pitches. And now, here I am and competing, man. It’s fun.”
For Harrison, the biggest challenge Saturday turned out to be his final frame, when there were two on and nobody out. Cora stuck with him, and Harrison retired the next three batters to complete his 86-pitch night.
“It's awesome,” said Harrison. “And that's what you hope for. I'm just glad they had the confidence in me, and I was glad that I was able to deliver in that moment.”
This was Harrison’s first game action since his three-inning debut for the Red Sox in West Sacramento on Sept. 10.
How did Harrison prepare himself to jump to six innings after being idle for nine days and not making an extended outing (more than nine outs) at any level since a five-inning start at Worcester on Aug. 19?
“I'd say it was just staying ready throughout the week,” Harrison said. “I didn't really know what they needed from me. I was just expecting to be ready for whatever they need. That was kind of the thing. So I’ve been keeping up on the workouts, shoulder stuff and just really grinded that one out, man. It was cool.”
What was Harrison’s biggest area of focus in Worcester?
“I'd say the work I had with the changeup, cutter and slurve, sinker, and using those against lefties, and just getting those reps down at Triple-A was huge for me,” Harrison said. “So to go out there, be able to show them today and have some success is definitely an encouraging sign.”
Harrison’s tempo and command kept his teammates engaged.
“Yeah, he was just aggressive,” said Story. “He pitched with some good pace. I think that's what the infield and outfield loves is someone who gets the sign and goes. And he was attacking all night. Had some good stuff. Just a really, really nice performance by him, and we needed it in a big way.”
That performance would have been just a footnote if the Red Sox had been unable to get the lead back.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that it was Story who came through with the biggest hit of the night for his 95th RBI of the season.
After an injury-plagued first three seasons in Boston, Story has been durable and invaluable in ‘25.
“I’m embracing the opportunity,” Story said. “There's been a lot of times that I wish I could be out there playing with the boys [the last three years], and that was a big moment in the game. I'm always excited about those moments, because I know I missed a lot of time the last few years.”