The Boston Red Sox’s hopes for a strong home stand were dashed almost instantly Monday night, as the Los Angeles Angels erupted for three home runs in the first inning, chasing young starter Richard Fitts after just one frame in a 7-6 Angels victory.
Fitts, making only his second start back from the injured list, struggled from the outset. The 25-year-old right-hander surrendered back-to-back home runs to Zach Neto, Mike Trout, and Jo Adell, resulting in a six-run outburst before the Red Sox even came to bat Fitts threw 39 pitches in that disastrous inning, giving up six runs—five earned—on three homers before being pulled.
After the game, Fitts admitted, “I feel like our team did enough to win tonight, outside of me. I feel terrible about it. Put us in a terrible spot, not just for this game but for games to come with our bullpen too. Nobody hates this more than I do” Manager Alex Cora pointed to Fitts’s lack of fastball command and noted the Angels “put some good swings on” early.
The Red Sox nearly clawed back, outhitting the Angels 11-8 and mounting a late rally, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome The loss dropped Boston to 29-33 and highlighted ongoing struggles in series openers and close games.
Following the outing, Fitts was optioned to Triple-A Worcester as the Red Sox shuffled their pitching staff, with Hunter Dobbins expected to take his spot in the rotation The Angels’ historic first inning marked the first time in Fenway Park history that a visiting team hit three home runs in the opening frame.
Boston will look to regroup as the series continues, hoping for better results from a reshuffled rotation.
