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Nick Pivetta pitches a masterful
complete game two-hitter
May 18, 2022 ...
Nick Pivetta pitched a two-hitter, Xander Bogaerts hit
a solo home run, Rafael Devers added an RBI double and the Boston Red
Sox beat the Houston Astros 5-1 on Wednesday night in the rubber
match of their three-game series.
It marked the first complete game by a Red Sox pitcher since
Chris Sale on June 5, 2019, at Kansas City. It was the first at Fenway Park
since Rick Porcello against the New York Yankees on Aug. 3, 2018.
Pivetta (2-4) gave up a leadoff home run to Jose Altuve, but
settled down to retire the next 18 batters as Boston built a 5-1 lead. The
Astros didn’t get their second hit of the day until Michael Brantley led off the
seventh inning with a double. Pivetta finished with eight strikeouts and didn’t
issue a walk. He threw 112 pitches, 78 for strikes.
Jose Altuve opened the game by battling Pivetta for 10 pitches
before getting under a 95-mph fastball and lifting a fly ball over the fence in
center field to put the Astros in front 1-0.
Rafael Devers got aboard with a one-out triple during the Sox
half of the first and scored off J.D. Martinez’s sacrifice fly to right to tie
it up. Xander Bogaerts was next and jumped all over Luis Garcia’s third pitch,
hitting a high line drive just over the top of the Green Monster for his fourth
home run of the season to make it 2-1.
Kike Hernández reached via a throwing error in the third inning.
He then scored on Devers’ double off the Monster. The Sox added two more in the
fourth via back-to-back RBI singles by Christian Vázquez and Hernandez to
stretch the lead to 5-1. |
