Red Sox
Bello allowed just one hit in six scoreless innings Friday night.
Brayan Bello threw 96 pitches in his scoreless outing. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
The Red Sox opened their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates in dominant fashion on Friday night.
Boston’s batters launched four home runs against their opponent to help secure the 8-1 victory, but manager Alex Cora praised his starting pitcher after the victory.
Brayan Bello deserved it by throwing his best game of the season so far. The team’s ace pitched six scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out seven batters.
“He was incredible. He was really good,” Cora said after the match. “In terms of game planning, he knew what he wanted to do. Speed was also increasing.
The 24-year-old retired the last 11 batters he faced in a game Cora called the Red Sox’s “best of the season.” Bello’s near-perfect outing helped him earn his third win of the year and the team’s 11th overall.
“It was great, a great outing. I went out there to compete every round,” Bello said through a translator. “This is what I wanted since the offseason, since we started training. That’s the type of pitcher I am, so everything worked out well.
Bello also acknowledged the support he received from his teammates early in the race. The eight runs Boston scored behind the pitcher Friday was the most the team has given him in five starts.
“Every time they scored a point, I tried to talk to myself, say to myself, ‘Now the next inning I have to keep it at zero,’” Bello said. “I have to get my guys to hit.” That was my mindset, keep throwing zeros inning after inning.
The Red Sox must be happy with their decision to extend Bello before the start of this season. He’s proving to be a reliable every-five-day arm and an anchor on an otherwise shaky team to start 2024.
Sign up for Red Sox updates⚾
Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox during the baseball season.
Boston
