Eduardo Rodriguez Named Red Sox' Opening Day Starter
BOSTON (CBS) -- Eduardo Rodriguez tossed a spring gem for the Red Sox on Wednesday. A short time after he was done mowing down the Minnesota Twins, he was named Boston's Opening Day starter.
"He is one of the best out there," manager Alex Cora said of Rodriguez after making Wednesday's announcement.
Rodriguez tossed five innings of one-run ball against the Twins, striking out six while allowing just two hits and issuing no walks. He improved to 2-0 this spring, allowing just three runs over 11.2 innings in his three exhibition starts. The most promising stat from those outings is that he issued no walks while striking out 14 batters.
"Right now, everything is on point," Cora said of his southpaw.
Rodriguez hasn't pitched in a Major League game in nearly two years after missing all of the 2020 season due to complications from COVID-19. He had a career-year in 2019, going 19-6 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.328 WHIP over 34 starts. He tossed more than 200 innings for the first time in his career, punching out 213 batters in the process.
Now, he'll toe the rubber when the Red Sox open the 2021 season against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park.