Jake Bennett has been everything the Red Sox could have hoped for when they traded for him in the offseason
That Washington had hired Red Sox assistant general manager Paul Toboni as its president of baseball operations a few months earlier made the trade puzzle easy to solve.
The deal has been a winner for the Sox. Bennett faced the Yankees for the first time in his nascent career on Saturday afternoon and allowed one run on three hits over 6⅓ innings in a 4-1 victory.
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“Incredible. Everything that I’ve ever dreamed of,” he said.
Bennett took a no-hitter two outs into the fifth inning before Max Schuemann drove a high fastball over the wall in center. Beyond that, the Yankees didn’t advance a runner beyond second base against him.
“Very, very effective,” interim manager Chad Tracy said.
And very, very different compared to many pitchers his age. Bennett threw five pitches for strikes and relied on his command far more than velocity.
Like a lot of the pitchers the Red Sox prefer, Bennett is tall (6 feet 6 inches) and strides far down the mound before releasing the ball. But unlike others, he’s not necessarily overpowering.
Jake Bennett allowed one run and three hits over a career-high 6⅓ innings on Saturday.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Bannett averaged a modest 92.7 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball against the Yankees while working in a two-seam sinking fastball, changeup, sweeper, and curveball. All five pitches produced outs.
“The changeup is elite,” catcher Carlos Narváez said. “But he has a good sweeper, too. We tried to mix everything. We used a lot of sinkers early. Then the second time through [the lineup] mix it up some more. He was able to land any pitch for a strike.”
Said Bennett: “Narvi called a great game. Sprinkled in four-seamers at the top [of the strike zone], two-seamers down. Sweeper when needed. I just thought it was a great plan.”
The 6⅓ innings were a career high, as were his 87 pitches. Bennett has worked at least five innings and allowed two or fewer earned runs in four of his six starts since making his major league debut on May 1.
Bennett opened the season with Triple-A Worcester when Tracy was managing that team. He allowed two earned runs over his first five starts and 21 innings.
“There were outings in spring training when he was really interesting. He was up to 97,” Tracy said. “I think as he goes along, there is still more velo [to come] as he continues to mature.
“Just his ability to get down the mound, how far he goes at 94, the way it jumps on you. Even at Worcester, we’d seen a lot of weak contact.”
The same has been true in the majors. Bennett is 2-3 with a 3.27 ERA through six starts since defeating the Astros in his major league debut.
With Garrett Crochet entering his 10th week on the injured list and still not close to getting back on the mound, Bennett could get a long look in the rotation.
The Sox haven’t fulfilled their winter dreams of contending. But Bennett helped fuel a modest three-game win streak and a potential sweep of the Yankees.
The Nationals start a three-game series at Fenway on Monday. Bennett isn’t scheduled to pitch and is looking forward to catching up with some former teammates and coaches.
But he’s found a new baseball home.
“It’s been such a blessing to be traded over here,” Bennett said. “It’s a great organization. They helped me develop into who I am right now and to keep developing down the road.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.
