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Dateline: Cincinnati
A pair of All-Star left handers showed why they were all-stars by putting on a pitching clinic under perfect weather conditions at Great American Ball Park on Opening Day between the Reds and Boston Red Sox. The result was a 3-0 win by the visitors.
Garrett Crochet pitched in his unprecedented third consecutive season opener. He is the first pitcher since 1901 to start an opening day game in his first three seasons as a starting pitcher.
"He threw the ball
Andrew Abbott in his first opening day start, scattered seven singles in six innings of scoreless baseball. Abbott gave up two singles and a walk in the first inning but Trevor Story bounced into a double play. The Red Sox had two hits in the second inning but another double play allowed his escape. Abbott retired seven batters in a row before Ceddane Rafaella beat out a slow roller to second base. Rafaela got a favorable call from CB Bucknor but the Reds did not challenge.
Roman Anthony's third single of the game bounced up and scored a direct hit on rookie Sal Stewart's forearm. Stewart was in pain but stayed in the game. "Roman smoked that ball. As soon as it hit me my arm went numb," Stewart said. "Sean (trainer McQueeny) came over. I asked, 'Is it broken', he said it doesn't feel like it. I said I'm not going out. I'm playing."
"I think he thought it was broken, the way he reacted. He is going to be sore. That was a bullet," Francona said of the ball that hit Stewart. "I think we dodged a big bullet. He's going to get looked at by the docs. He was looked at during the game. He's young and a pretty tough kid."
Abbott struck out Story and Jarren Duran to get out of trouble. He pitched a 1-2-3 sixth and left with six innings of scoreless baseball. He walked one and struck out four.
"The mentality talk with DJ and Tito, kind of reshifting and refocusing in areas," Abbott said "Frustrating and doubts are two different things. I was frustrated with the results after I gave up eight runs in Arizona. The last week of spring training. I never doubted my abilities. They are what got me here. It is just going out to compete."
"It is a long season as we know. This was one of 162," Abbott said. "We, the fans and us is going to see each other a lot. I struggled with spin early on but the conviction was there."
The Reds went into the sixth inning with just a double by Stewart against Crocher but they put him on the ropes. Matt McLain walked with one out. Elly De La Cruz and Stewart singled to load the bases. Crochet escaped by striking out Eugenio Suarez and Spencer Steer.
"He made a good pitch," Suarez said. "He had good stuff today."
The Red Sox broke through against the Reds' bullpen in the seventh. Pierce Johnson relieved Abbott, who threw 83 pitches. Pinch hitter, Marcelo Mayer doubled to the left center field gap to open the inning. Carlos Narvaez bunted Mayer to second. Rafaels singled to plate the first run of the season. Sam Moll retired Anthony and Story to send the game to the bottom of the seventh with a 1-0 score.
Justin Slaten walked Tyler Stephenson, who got two called strikes overturned by challenges of Dan Iassogna's calls. Slaten protected the lead by striking out pinch hitter Will Benson and TJ Friedl sandwiching Ke'Bryan Hayes line out to left.
Moll got an out in the eighth, then was replaced by Graham Ashcraft who completed the inning.
Garrett Whitlock gave up a two-out double to Stewart, his third hit but struck out Suarez, the third strikeout by the Reds' hitter.
The ABS system came into play in the top of the ninth. Connor Phillips allowed a single to Mayer to open the inning but with two outs on a 3-2 pitch, Anthony challenged Iassogna's 3-2. called third strike. Instead of ending the inning. It gave Story and Duran a chance to hit RBI singles. One off Phillips and one off Brock Burke.
Aroldis Chapman, the former Reds' closer, entered for Boston. Three fly outs ended the game.
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