Red Sox left-handed prospect tosses 4 scoreless frames in Triple-A debut for the WooSox
Red Sox left-handed pitching prospect Zach Penrod tossed four scoreless innings in his WooSox debut on Thursday night.
Penrod, 26, allowed five hits and two walks while striking out five in Worcester’s 4-1 win over the Charlotte Knights.
The southpaw threw 39 four-seam heaters, averaging 94.5 mph while topping out at 97 mph. He also induced six swings-and-misses with his fastball. Penrod also threw 18 sliders and 17 changeups, per Baseball Savant.
Jitters appeared to impact Penrod in the first inning. He opened the inning by allowing a leadoff single before getting White Sox top shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery to strike out on a foul tip. The next two hitters would reach, resulting in the bases being loaded. However, Penrod would settle down and strike the final two batters out to end the inning.
Penrod settled down for the second inning, retiring the side in order. He would allow two batters to reach base in the third and walk one in the fourth inning.
The Idaho native was promoted from Double-A Portland after he went 4-0 with a 2.80 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 53 strikeouts, and 13 walks in 35 1/3 innings. The hard-throwing lefty held opposing batters to a .183 average and posted 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings, per FanGraphs.
Penrod’s journey to the Red Sox began last season after the organization signed him out of the independent Pioneer League. He then went on to help the Greenville Drive win the championship, pitching in the game-clinching game. Following the season, he was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League and lead all AFL starters with a 1.29 ERA.
Penrod will make his Polar Park debut next week when the WooSox return home to Worcester.
