Under the bright lights of Fenway Park, most would expect a Boston Red Sox pitcher to be driven by the promise of glory or the pursuit of a record-breaking contract. But that isn’t the case with this right-hander. Since he’s still new to the major league and working his way back from a pectoral injury, you’d expect him to be easing it down a bit. However, every time he takes the mound lately, he’s aiming for 100 mph like a man on a mission. His motivation? A reward! And it’s nothing glamorous, just a T-shirt. Who doesn’t love free stuff, after all?
The former Yankee and current Red Sox pitcher—Richard Fitts—is fueling his fire to clock his velocity in triple digits with something very odd. The rookie was acquired in the Yankees-Red Sox high-profile trade that sent Alex Verdugo to the Bronx and brought Fitts to Boston. Apparently, Justin Willard, pitching director of the Red Sox, has set an interesting reward for pitchers who hit 100 mph.
The reward is nothing fancy, just T-shirts that say “I throw fuego.” As it turns out, it has become a real source of motivation for Fitts. No kidding, it’s really just the T-shirt and what it says. “I’m hoping to get one soon,” Fitts said in a conversation with Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.
He will. If his Tuesday night performance was any indication, then you’ll soon spot him wearing that tee. He threw the fastest pitches of his career. The board said “99,” however, he wanted to go a bit faster to hit the triple digits. “It pops up on the board as 99, and I was like, ‘Man, maybe I’ll just throw a little harder on this one and see if I can do it,’” he admitted after the game.
He’s very close to donning that T-shirt now. A 100 mph pitch is sure to bring effectiveness, but for Fitts, it might earn him a “fuego” tee. Aside from the tee, Fitts shared his end goal as well: “Ultimately, I’m just trying to get out, too.” As for the 2025 season, Fitts has a winless 0-3 record with a 4.50 ERA and 22 strikeouts. However, let’s not forget he’s still a rookie who’s new to the big leagues. He’ll definitely come around soon.
Red Sox’ right-hander’s early struggles
Richard Fitts hasn’t notched his first career win yet. Across the past two seasons, he has pitched in 11 games and has recorded a 3.33 ERA. In those 11 games, the Red Sox are 1-10 and that’s concerning. On June 2, he made his big league start. It didn’t go well, as Fitts couldn’t keep the ball in the yard. During the fourth inning, he gave up consecutive home runs and, eventually, after 83 pitches, he was pulled.
Moreover, his recent pectoral injury kept him on the injured list for a significant amount of time. After he returned, his fastball averaged 95 mph across four outings. In fact, his average was even spiked at 96.8 mph during his first two major league starts.
Fast forward to Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, and Fitts threw the best pitch of his career at 98.9 mph. Not once, but twice, he hit that mark twice in the same inning. That is impressive for a rookie. He pitched three innings and gave up one run on two hits and no walks with one strikeout.
On another bright note, Tanner Houk, who was out with an elbow injury, is just one more rehab start away from returning to the lineup. But when he does, Fitts will probably get one more chance to make an impact in the rotation. We can expect to see his next start in the next week. It’s highly likely that the Red Sox will send him against the Colorado Rockies.
Now, the ultimatum for him is to reach the triple-digit mark.
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