Hard-throwing WooSox southpaw touches 99 mph out of the bullpen, letting ‘it ride’ pitching in relief
Zach Penrod is patiently waiting for the opportunity of a lifetime.
The left-hander has recently transitioned from a starter to the WooSox bullpen, positioning himself as a potential late-season call-up for the Red Sox bullpen.
“It’s very exciting, especially over the course of the last four years being in indy ball; I never really thought I’d be in this position,” Penrod said to WooSox’ beat writers on Saturday. “So I’m just trying to enjoy each day that I get to go out there more than anything, and take care of what I need to take care of, and kind of just let things fall into place as they go.”
The 27-year-old has accomplished a lot since joining the Red Sox organization last August. He’s climbed through the system at a rapid rate, dominating each level. Fast forward to this season, and Penrod stifled opposing lineups while pitching for the Portland Sea Dogs, posting a 2.80 ERA while striking out 13.5 per nine innings.
The Boise native earned a promotion to Triple-A Worcester in May, pitching out of the WooSox rotation before he landed on the injured list with a shin problem.
Penrod is fully healthy and will be pitching out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season. The hard-throwing lefty hasn’t allowed a run in his new role and has only given up two hits over four frames.
“The decrease in workload was nice. Obviously, going from starting, throwing like 75 or 80 pitches, it’s a little bit easier going one inning, hoping the workload gets bigger from here,” Penrod said. But just kind of getting into my legs a little bit more has been my key for me. Trying to get comfortable to slow down the mound and then kind of explode late. That’s kind of what I’ve been working on, and it’s obviously translating.”
Penrod is also lighting up the radar gun, hitting 99 mph on Friday night and coming in relief to pitch for Quinn Priester, who tossed a five-inning gem.
“That one was wild,” Penrod says of hitting 99 on Friday. “I’m still chasing that hundred, just trying to go for it. It’s been my goal since surgery. So it’s crazy that I’m getting close now.”
Penrod noted that his transition to the bullpen has been pretty easy, reiterating the decrease in workload.
“It was a pretty easy transition just because I wasn’t built back up fully as a starter yet since the injury,” Penrod said. “It was a little bit of a change because I wanted to go five innings a few times back, but I went two innings and threw later in the week. It is an interesting transition, but I am here for it. They told me to go out there and throw hard, and I can do that.”
The plan for Penrod is to finish the season as a reliever, with the possibility of earning a spot on the 40-man roster and pitching for the Red Sox. He will jump back into the starting rotation in 2025 and will head into spring training, vying for a spot with Boston.
