Red Sox veteran wins 10-pitch at-bat with ‘huge’ K vs. ‘one of the best’

BOSTON — Red Sox 37-year-old lefty reliever Justin Wilson and Mets superstar Francisco Lindor aren’t strangers.

Their fifth-inning matchup Monday marked the 14th time that they have faced each other and it ended up being a 10-pitch battle.

Wilson replaced starter Hunter Dobbins with runners at the corners and two outs in the fifth inning. He got Lindor, a four-time All-Star, to strike out swinging on an 87.1 mph slider. The Red Sox won 3-1 over the Mets here at Fenway Park.

“ He’s come up in a lot of situations like that,” said bench coach Ramón Vázquez, who filled in for manager Alex Cora.

Cora skipped the game to celebrate his daughter’s graduation from Boston College.

“It’s a tough situation,” Vázquez added. “And he came through. He battled with one of the best in the game and came through for us. So that is huge for us.”

Lindor is now 2-for-10 with two singles, four walks and seven strikeouts against Wilson.

 “He was fouling everything off,” Wilson said. “Luckily got the swing-and-miss pitch at the end. Fairly competitive at-bat on both ends … A lot of sliders.”

Wilson fell behind 2-1 and 3-2 in the count. Of the 10 pitches, he threw eight sliders and two fastballs. The final six pitches were all sliders and Lindor fouled off four of them.

Lindor, a switch-hitter, entered Monday batting .301 with a .376 on-base percentage, .517 slugging percentage and .893 OPS in 165 plate appearances as a left-handed hitter against right-handed pitchers. He entered with a .227/.255/.318/.574 line in 47 plate appearances as a right-handed hitter vs. left-handed pitchers.

Dobbins was at just 66 pitches. But Vázquez liked the idea of bringing in the left-handed Wilson to make Lindor hit right-handed.

“And then the lefties coming right after, we thought it was the right situation, the right moment for him to come in,” Vázquez said.

Two of the next three batters in the Mets lineup were left-handed hitters (Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo). And so Wilson stayed in the game for the sixth inning.

He gave up a single to Soto and walked Pete Alonso. But the southpaw then got Nimmo to ground into a 5-6-3 double play.

Greg Weissert replaced Wilson with two outs and retired Mark Vientos on a flyout to right field.

Wilson was the first free agent Boston signed this past offseason. They inked him to a one-year, $2.25 million contract Nov. 14. The deal also includes another $750,000 available in performance bonuses.

He has posted a 2.35 ERA (15 ⅓ innings, four earned runs) in 19 outings.

“Just doing my job, man,” Wilson said. “Pitch when your name’s called. I think that’s how we all feel down there. Wanna pick each other up, go out there and be aggressive in the strike zone and trust our stuff.”

  • Red Sox get a win for fill-in manager in his major league debut
  • Red Sox reactions: Rookie gets big Juan Soto double play, bullpen shuts down Mets
  • Red Sox pursued Juan Soto last winter; now both sides have moved on | Sean McAdam
  • Who’s managing Boston Red Sox in place of Alex Cora? What if he’s ejected?
  • Boston Red Sox lineup: Kristian Campbell out again in opener vs. Mets

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Related Posts

Houѕton Aѕtroѕ Select Intrіguіng Corner Infіelder іn Lаteѕt MLB Mock Drаft

The Houston Astros lost Alex Bregman in free agency last offseason, as he signed a three-year, $120 million deal with the Boston Red Sox.

Gіаntѕ Executіveѕ аnd Plаyerѕ Oрen Uр on Bob Melvіn’ѕ Extenѕіon

The San Francisco Giants extended manager Bob Melvin, and team executives and players voiced their support for their leader on the diamond.

Red Sox lіneuр: Veterаn ѕtаrter lookѕ to keeр rollіng wіth mornіng ѕtаrt on Fourth іn DC

Red Sox fans are accustomed to a morning start time once a year — on Marathon Monday in April. On Friday, Boston will get its second taste of morning baseball this season.

Cubѕ Rotаtіon Getѕ More Bаd Newѕ, Fіx Needed Before It’ѕ Too Lаte

Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins offers a noncommittal response about Javier Assad’s return in 2025, adding to team’s need for pitchers.

Rаngerѕ could trаde former рlаyoff hero

A former Texas Rangers playoff hero could be on the move ahead of the MLB trade deadline. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote Thursday that the Rangers

Cаrdіnаlѕ Predіcted To Cut Tіeѕ Wіth $81 Mіllіon Stаr In Huge Trаde

The ѕt. Louіѕ Cаrdіnаlѕ hаve а crucіаl decіѕіon to mаke wіth ѕtаr cloѕer Ryаn Helѕley thіѕ ѕeаѕon. Helѕley’ѕ contrаct endѕ аt the end of the yeаr, ѕo…