Red Sox’s Brayan Bello Allows One Run Over Five Innings in 2025 Season Debut
The Boston Red Sox were pleased to have their 2024 Opening Day starter back and healthy again for Tuesday’s series opener against the Seattle Mariners.
Right-hander Brayan Bello, who began this season on the injured list after missing all of spring training due to right shoulder inflammation, was activated off the IL prior to first pitch and impressed in his ‘25 season debut versus the M’s.
Bello tossed five innings of one-run ball in his first start against major league hitters since last September, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out three. The lone blemish on his night came via Jorge Polanco’s first-inning home run.
The 25-year-old hurler displayed a jolt of emotion after recording the final out of the fifth inning, pumping his fist while walking off the mound following his 97th pitch of the contest – 51 of them he threw for strikes.
“Very excited. Very emotional moment for me,” Bello told reporters of his return, including MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “I was trying to do my job from the first pitch to the last one. But yeah, just a very good moment for me to be back.”
Fueled by Bello’s return, the Red Sox rallied for two runs in the bottom half of the fifth and four in the seventh to come away with an 8-3 victory over the Mariners, winning their second consecutive game and six of their previous seven.
The Dominican native had to work out of trouble a few times during Tuesday’s outing at Fenway Park, particularly in the first inning after he loaded the bases by issuing a walk and hitting the next two batters following Polanco’s solo shot. But he escaped that jam by inducing an inning-ending double-play, which he capped off by running off the mound to cover first base.
Bello also pitched around Julio Rodríguez’s one-out double in the fifth, producing a weak flyout from Cal Raleigh and striking out Randy Arozarena on a slider to end the frame.
“Obviously, I felt very good that I was able to get that zero with a man on second and only one out,” said Bello. “I was able to get those last two outs. I kept battling and kept my team ahead. So, for me, it was huge for me to be able to keep the team competing.”
There was a moment of concern in the fourth inning after Red Sox trainers came onto the field to assess Bello’s right calf, which had been causing him discomfort. But he stayed in the game and shook off the effects of his leg cramp.
When asked if the ailment could impact his status beyond this outing, he said, “I’ll be ready for my next start [on Sunday].”
That next start for Bello will come on the road in Cleveland against the Guardians in Sunday’s series finale before the team heads to Toronto for a three-game set.
The 6-foot-1 starter – signed to a six-year, $55-million contract that runs through 2029 – endured an underwhelming performance in Year 1 of that extension last season, as he posted a 4.49 ERA and 4.19 FIP across 30 starts. He also registered a 50.8 percent ground-ball rate, the lowest of his first three major league seasons.
But after Bello induced two-thirds of his 15 outs via groundouts a night ago, the Red Sox are hopeful he can make meaningful contributions in a rotation alongside Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck and Walker Buehler.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: MrDMan84. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.