Justin Slaten earns first big league save in series split against the Mariners
Red Sox reliever Justin Slaten made his big league debut in the extra-inning loss to the Mariners on Saturday night.
Slaten faced one batter on Saturday and surrendered the game winning hit to Julio Rodríguez in the bottom of the 10th inning.
The right-hander took the mound on Sunday afternoon, slamming the door shut on Seattle, giving the Red Sox a series split against the Mariners.
Slaten earned his first big league save in the club’s 5-1 win, pitching the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing no hits and no runs while striking out one. Slaten struck out Dylan Moore to end the game; that strikeout was his first in the majors.
The righty threw 15 pitches, 12 of them for strikes. Slaten tossed six sweepers in his appearance, getting five swings and one whiff off the pitch. He also threw his four-seamed fastball five times, earning five swings, two whiffs, and maxing it out at 96.8 mph.
“As good as last night was being the major league debut, it’s awesome, but still, you kind of have a little bit of a sour taste in your mouth,” Slaten told reporters postgame. “So, to get the opportunity to come right back at it today, it was everything. Just to feel like I had that support behind me, just to go and give it another try, it was great.”
Slaten’s skipper, Alex Cora, didn’t let the fact that he gave up the game winning hit on Saturday night stop him from using the righty in a multi-inning appearance to close out the series.
“(Saturday) wasn’t the best debut, right?” Cora told reporters. “Like I told you guys, he was a big leaguer, and now he’s really a big leaguer. He went out there, mixed up his pitches—cutter, curveball, good fastball—against the heart of their order, and did an outstanding job.”
Slaten had a strong spring, and the Rule 5 pick has been showing in a small sample size why he might become a key asset in the bullpen this season.
“He’s not just a Rule 5 guy,” Cora said. "This is a guy that, if we keep him in the strike zone, he’s going to be good for us, and he’s going to help us win a lot of games.”
