The Boston Red Sox had been without one of their best starters, Michael Wacha, since June.
He missed more than a month of action with right shoulder inflammation.
The shoulder is crucial for a pitcher, perhaps the most important and influential body part for them: keeping it healthy is always a priority.
That’s why Boston made sure he was fully healed before having him return.
When he finally did, on Sunday night, he was lights out.
“In his first outing since June, Michael Wacha had everything going,” MLB’s official Twitter account wrote on Monday, with his stat line against the New York Yankees.
In his first outing since June, Michael Wacha had everything going. pic.twitter.com/l1KKU9GDd2
— MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2022
He hurled seven scoreless innings, with just two hits allowed and one walk.
Wacha Completely Dominated The Yankees
The Yankees had all sorts of trouble making contact at Wacha’s stuff, as they struck out nine times against the starter.
You could almost say that Wacha represents the perfect deadline addition for the Sox.
At 57-59, the Red Sox have fallen to the last place of the AL East division, but that doesn’t mean their season is over already.
They will have to fight their way back into contention, sure, but still have about a month-and-a-half worth of games.
They do need to start winning games in bunches, though: time is no longer their friend.
The roster has had several key injuries, but the Red Sox are still capable of making the playoffs if a few things go their way.
Let’s not forget that the foundation of this team made it all the way to the American League Championship Series last year: they know how to play baseball, they have a great offense, and a fantastic manager in Alex Cora.
Having Wacha, who has a 2.44 ERA in 77.1 innings in 2022, will certainly help.