??BOSTON -- New to Boston, the Patriots' Day experience -- accompanied by an 11:10 a.m. ET start time -- was something Walker Buehler needed to adjust to.
The veteran righty stayed at a hotel within walking distance of the ballpark and was clearly ready to go in the first morning start of his career.
Amid the bright sunshine on an always festive day in Boston, Buehler was on point, turning in the best of his five starts with the Red Sox, pitching them to a 4-2 victory over the White Sox at Fenway Park. Boston took three out of four in the wraparound series that ended on a Massachusetts holiday Monday.
What was Buehler¡¯s morning itinerary?
¡°I set [my alarm] for 6:45 then I left the hotel at 7:15, got here and got rolling,¡± said Buehler.
Roll, he did.
Pitching seven innings for the first time since May 8, 2022, Buehler (3-1, 4.23 ERA) held Chicago to four hits and a run, walking three and striking out nine.
¡°Obviously it¡¯s an important day for the city and one that we need to win and are supposed to win on this day in this place,¡± said Buehler. ¡°Good day to have a good one.¡±
Of Buehler¡¯s 100 pitches, 63 were for strikes. His seven-pitch arsenal was led by 30 four-seamers, but he also mixed in a steady diet of cutters, sinkers, sweepers and knuckle curves to keep the White Sox off-balance.
¡°He did a good job,¡± said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. ¡°If we can limit the walks, we're going to be in a really good spot. Pitchability comes into play. He uses all his fastballs, changes speeds with the breaking ball. He was in command. Triston [Casas] made a great play on the [Andrew Benintendi] ball to turn a double play. But overall, going back to Walk, he was amazing.¡±
When was the last time Buehler woke up so early to pitch?
¡°It was 2017, in Double-A against Jack Flaherty,¡± said Buehler. ¡°We had a SpongeBob SquarePants Day that we pitched against each other in. I was thinking about that earlier, so I think that's it.¡±
Any memories from that day?
¡°I got a hit off Jack,¡± Buehler said with a measure of pride.
So on top of his game was Buehler that not much offense was required.
But Rob Refsnyder, making a rare start against a righty in Jonathan Cannon, provided some before lunch hour, hammering a solo homer in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 1-1.
¡°Rob has [young kids], so he¡¯s used to getting up early,¡± quipped Cora before the game.
Refsnyder looked plenty caffeinated when he hammered his homer way over the Green Monster at a Statcast-projected 397 feet.
The Sox gained some additional comfort in a three-run third, led by an RBI single by red-hot Trevor Story and a two-run single by Kristian Campbell.
Campbell said it was the earliest game he¡¯s played in since high school. The atmosphere at Fenway in front of a crowd of 34,721 made this traditionally late riser forget it was so early.
¡°It was electric,¡± Campbell said. ¡°The city. The fans. The people. They were super excited the whole game. It was sold-out. Everybody was packed in. It was a great experience overall. To top off with a win in this series is great.¡±
Once the Red Sox emerged victorious, some members of the team joined the rest of the city in enjoying the Boston Marathon on a day that was a little chilly for baseball (53 degrees at first pitch), but perfect for runners.
¡°For me, it's always special,¡± Cora said of Patriots¡¯ Day. ¡°Now, get dressed, go to the finish line and see our people there. And just the whole experience, have fun with it.¡±