The Red Sox earned a much-needed win over the Yankees to open the three-game series from the Bronx on Friday night. The 3-2 victory over the Yankees brought the Red Sox back to .500 (32-32) on the season and are now 2-2 on the current six-game road trip.
Garrett Whitlock (3-2) made his first career start against the Yanks and the right-hander allowed just two runs (one earned) on seven hits with one walk while striking out seven over 6 1/3 innings of work. The Georgia native's strong start on Friday night is continuing to cement him as a starter and proving why the Sox wanted him in this spot all along.
Whitlock spent three seasons in the Yankees organization before the Red Sox plucked him with the No. 4 pick during the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. He holds no ill will against the Yankees for not protecting him on their 40-man roster when he was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.
“I’ve never held a grudge, you know. I’ve told you that from day one,” Whitlock told reporters following the Sox win at Yankee Stadium. “I understood the whole thing so yeah, I’ve never held a grudge.”
At the time of his selection, Whitlock was a promising young arm in the Yankees system that was rehabbing back from Tommy John surgery.
When Boston drafted Whitlock the club envisioned him as someone with potential starter upside.
“We’re really excited to land someone that we think has upside as a potential starter or, at a minimum, can assume some volume in a role either out of the ‘pen or as a starter,” said Red Sox Vice President of professional scouting Gus Quattlebaum following the Rule 5 Draft. “We’re really excited to land him.”
Fast forward three years and the 26-year-old is an important piece to the Sox' future and rotation. Whitlock has made 83 appearances with the Sox, making 15 starts along the way. He’s started to settle into his role as a starter making six starts this season, he’s 3-2 with a 4.78 ERA in 32 innings pitched.
There’s been a case for him to remain a reliever, a role he’s excelled in when he began his Red Sox career.
Through two seasons, Whitlock has proven to be elite out of the pen, posting a 1.96 ERA in his rookie season followed by a 2.75 ERA when pitching as a reliever in 2022, a number that could have been even more impressive had he not pitched through a hip injury much of the season.
His four-pitch mix that includes a sinker, changeup, slider, and the occasional four-seam fastball is consistent with that of a starting pitcher. He has a unique ability to consistently throw all four of his pitches for strikes, which he did against the Yankees on Friday night, while generating swing-and-miss at a well above-average rate.
Whitlock credited both Nathan Eovaldi and Corey Kluber as two veterans that's helped him become a better pitcher.
"Honestly, Nate Eovaldi has helped me a ton. Kluber has (helped) with pitch selection and reading bats, Kluber has helped me tremendously. I've talked to him in the dugouts and going over pitches and everything, he's been a huge help trying to help me read swings to see what he see's pitch after pitch," said Whitlock postgame to reporters.
Whitlock’s first career start against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium was not the first big moment celebrated against his former organization. When Boston signed Whitlock to his four-year, $18.75 million contract extension last season, it was announced while the Sox were at Yankee Stadium.
“We believe, we hope, we’re just scratching the surface of what he can accomplish,” said Chaim Bloom at his extension press conference. “The fact that he’s said a few times, ‘Give me the ball and I’ll get people out until you take it from me’, that’s perfect. And wherever that takes him, where that takes us, it’s good to have him in our foxhole.”
No one can predict if Whitlock will ever be a frontline starting pitcher. He’s shown flashes that he can be a two or three-type starter for the Sox. Bloom’s big bet by extending the 26-year-old only shows the team’s commitment to seeing that upside through. Whitlock has shown brilliance as a high-leverage reliever and based off his performance against the Yankees, he’s only getting better and showcasing why the Sox selected him No.4 overall in the Rule 5 Draft and extended him last season.