BOSTON — The Red Sox hammered Michael Wacha in his final postseason appearance with the Rays last October, signed him to a $7 million deal in the off-season, and are now watching him flourish.
Making his first start for the Sox at Fenway Park on Easter Sunday against the Twins, Wacha mowed down the opposition over five scoreless innings, holding the Twins to just one hit while the Sox completed an impressive 8-1 victory.
Despite averaging just 91 mph on his fastball, down from 94 mph a year ago, Wacha used a heavy dose of changeups to keep the Twins off-balance. He cruised through the first three innings on just 37 pitches. He had to work for a 15-pitch strikeout of former Astros star Carlos Correa in the fourth, but was able to complete five innings on just 79 pitches before manager Alex Cora pulled the plug.
