Hector Velazquez has never pitched in the major leagues, or in the United States for that matter, but the Red Sox are giving him a chance anyways. More than a week after the club announced that he had signed on a minor-league deal, he made his Spring Training debut in their 7-3 loss to the lowly Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
The Red Sox featured a less-than-stellar lineup in their first travel game of the spring, playing down to their level of competition.They sent out a lot of depth players and minor league pieces that just couldn’t hold it together against the Rays.