Quinn Priester first Red Sox start 'special'; earns win over Rays
The Red Sox ended their 2024 season with a 3-1 win over the Rays at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, Boston finished with an 81-81 record and clinching third place in the American League East.
Quinn Priester made his Red Sox debut, tossing five innings to earn the victory, allowing just a run off four hits while striking out two and walking one. Priester threw 89 pitches, 58 of them for strikes.
“Good stuff, threw strikes, we played good defense behind him, a few double plays, kept the ball on the ground,” skipper Alex Cora said. “I think it was good for him to go out there and compete.”
Priester generated nine whiffs and kept the Rays hitters off balance with his sinker and slider combination.
“I just wanted to go out there and do what I do well,” said Priester following his start on Sunday. “And we did it well today. Just continue to build on it. Keep getting better as we go into the offseason.”
The Sox acquired the 23-year-old from the Pirates for former first rounder Nick Yorke just before the trade deadline. The promising young pitcher spent time with Triple-A Worcester after the trade and worked on adding velocity to his pitches while adding size to his frame.
His start on Sunday gave Priester a look at what it’s like to pitch at the iconic Fenway Park.
“I got out a little bit earlier than I normally do for the routine to take it in because it’s such an iconic place; it’s a place you dream about growing up; you imagine it and being able to actually do it today and walk away with a win and come out (at) .500, just really encouraging stuff going into the offseason,” Priester said. “It was really special to get my first start in such a special place; it was awesome.”
Priester, Richard Fitts, and Zach Penrod offered a glimpse of some of the young arms in the pipeline’s development. Fitts made four starts, posting a 0-1 record with a 1.74 ERA with nine strikeouts over 20 2/3 innings.
Penrod looked strong out of the bullpen, appearing in seven games and posting a 2.25 ERA with three strikeouts over four frames. The left-hander’s history as a starter gives the Sox another option for the rotation heading into 2025. At the very least, he can be a key multi-inning relief option for Cora.
“We’re getting there. We are. There’s no moral victories in the season, but I think we actually took a step forward,” Cora said on the development of the pitchers that’s helped the big league club this season. “We’ve still got work to do, but I feel, like I said before the game, much better going home knowing what might happen in the offseason and where we’re going next season.”
