ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A year ago Hector Velazquez was a 28-year-old rookie freshly signed out of the Mexican League and slated for depth duty in Triple-A Pawtucket.
Sunday afternoon, he was yet another dominant starting pitcher in the Red Sox rotation.
First it was Chris Sale who starred on the mound. David Price might have been even better in Game 2. Rick Porcello got it done on Saturday. And Velazquez shined on Sunday.
Four starters and 24 innings of two-run ball later and the Red Sox wrapped up a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field and a 3-1 series victory to start the season.