Bradley makes dazzling debut for Rays on mound
FORT MYERS — Top Rays pitching prospect Taj Bradley showed how much he was looking forward to his first big-league spring training appearance Sunday by riding the team bus from Disney early Saturday morning and staying over in Fort Myers so he could keep his normal startday routine.
Then he showed why there is so much excitement about his eventual arrival in the majors.
Bradley zipped through his one inning, hitting 98 mph on the stadium board in needing only seven pitches (five strikes) to set down three Boston big-leaguers — Triston Casas (groundout) and veteran All-Stars Rafeal Devers (flyout) and Justin Turner (popout) — in Boston’s 7-6 victory.
“Extremely satisfied,” said Bradley, 21. “It’s a good way to break it in. Five out of seven strikes, and face some good guys while doing it. So kind of get the jitters all out and be ready for the next outing.”
Bradley, who split last season between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham, said he was fine warming up but got an adrenaline rush and “kind of a heart pump going” as he sat in the dugout waiting to take the mound.
“Amazing. … It was just lightsout,” catcher Christian Bethancourt said. “He didn’t look nervous at all. He was just doing his thing, having fun out there and throwing strikes.”
And to his boss.
“Very impressive,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Lots of power, strike-throwing.”
Also to Devers, the Sox’s lefty slugger.
“He was good,” Devers said. “When he threw his fastball up in the zone, it gets on you quick and is tough to hit. He’s going to be good.”
In addition to a broad smile, Bradley came away with a souvenir from the game. Someone got him the ball from Turner’s inning-ending popout, and Bradley sent it over to the Boston clubhouse to have it signed.
The Red Sox tied the game in the eighth with two runs off Hector Perez, then won on a walkoff single by Ryan Fitzgerald after Anthony Molina walked the first two. The game took 2:39 with four pitch-clock violations, including one on Rays pitcher Colten Brewer.