Benintendi leads off with HR, but Sox fall
Kenta Maeda got off to a memorable start.
The Twins newcomer gave up a home run to the Red Sox’s Andrew Benintendi to begin the game Monday in Fort Myers, Florida, prompting the Japanese pitcher to laugh later.
“First time facing hitters so I just wanted to get that feel back,” Maeda said through an interpreter. “And I wasn’t scheduled to give up a home run on the first hitter, just so you know.”
Maeda, acquired from the Dodgers on Feb. 10, threw 37 pitches in two innings, allowing two hits with one walk and one strikeout. The Twins won 3-2 against a Red Sox split squad. Maeda was originally part of the on-again, off-again trades that culminated in Mookie Betts going to the Dodgers.
“Everything felt fine. Velocity is up there way more than I expected. It’s just the little things that need to be refined, adjusted,” Maeda said.
The Twins’ Nelson Cruz made his spring training debut, hitting a two-run homer.
Jackie Bradley Jr. had two singles for the Red Sox. Nathan Eovaldi allowed two hits and struck out four in two innings.
The other Red Sox squad tied the Rays 2-2 in Port Charlotte, Florida. Nick Lovullo, son of Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, played second base for the Red Sox. Tanner Houck, Boston’s first-round draft pick in 2017, walked two and gave up a hit in a two-inning start.
Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, the Japanese league outfielder signed by the Rays to add some power to the lineup, homered in his second game. He has yet to make an out, walking twice with a single and home run.