Auburn Star Richard Fitts Sets Pitching Record with Boston Red Sox
Former Auburn pitcher Richard Fitts makes history with the Boston Red Sox, achieving an impressive start in his Major League Baseball career. Learn how his strong pitching performances have set new records.
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Pitcher Richard Fitts, a standout from Auburn and Helena High School, has made a remarkable start to his Major League Baseball career. However, the Boston Red Sox haven’t fully capitalized on his historic performance.
On Friday, Fitts became only the second MLB pitcher to throw at least five innings without allowing an earned run in each of his first three games since 1912, when earned runs became an official stat.
This rare achievement was first accomplished just last year by Andrew Abbott of the Cincinnati Reds, who pitched 17.2 innings in his first three games without giving up any earned runs in June 2023. Unlike Fitts, Abbott won all three games, while Fitts has three no-decisions to his name, despite his excellent pitching.
Fitts has joined an elite group of eight other pitchers since 1912 who started their MLB careers by pitching 15 innings in their first three games without giving up a run. However, those pitchers didn’t manage to pitch at least five innings in every game as Fitts did.
In his MLB debut on Sept. 8, Fitts pitched 5.2 innings in a 7-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Two unearned runs were scored due to an error in the sixth inning. On Sept. 13, Fitts delivered five scoreless innings in a 5-4 loss to the New York Yankees. Then, on Friday, he pitched five scoreless innings again in a 4-2, 12-inning loss to the Minnesota Twins.
In total, Fitts has pitched 15.2 innings for the Red Sox, striking out seven batters, allowing 13 hits, and giving up five walks.
Before joining the Red Sox, Fitts played for the Worcester Red Sox in the Triple-A International League, where he recorded a 9-5 win-loss record and a 4.15 ERA over 116.2 innings.
Fitts was drafted by the New York Yankees in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. During his time at Auburn, he had a 6-6 record over 40 games, including 14 starts, with a 5.23 ERA in 117 innings. In 2022, Fitts became a full-time starting pitcher and has made only one relief appearance in the past three seasons.
Fitts joined the Red Sox after an offseason trade that sent outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Yankees.
