The San Diego Padres brought an unexpected challenge to the Boston Red Sox in the series finale at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon with Matt Waldron’s knuckleball. The knuckleball is a rare and difficult pitch to master in Major League Baseball, but Waldron has it in his repertoire, posing a unique challenge for the Red Sox lineup.
Despite the unfamiliarity with the knuckleball, the Red Sox were not entirely unprepared. Jaren Duran, who contributed significantly to Boston’s 4-1 victory over the Padres, appreciated seeing the knuckleball on the first pitch of the game. “I’m so glad he threw it the first pitch of the game so I could see what it looked like, but that thing is nasty,” Duran said. His strategy was straightforward: aim to see the pitch high, above his eyes, where it would presumably be easier to hit due to less movement. This approach paid off as Duran made contact in three at-bats against Waldron, including hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning for Boston’s fourth and final run.
Rafael Devers also had success against Waldron, hitting a two-run homer over the Green Monster in the first inning. The Red Sox’s manager, Alex Cora, strategically stacked the lineup with left-handed hitters against the right-handed Waldron. Cora’s advice to the team was simple yet effective: “If you see it high, let it fly. If you see it low, let it go.”
Waldron, who took the loss with a record of 5-7, pitched for 4 1/3 innings, making it his shortest outing since May 5. He allowed all four of Boston’s runs, gave up six of the team’s eight hits, and recorded only three strikeouts before being taken out of the game.
While Cora devised the overall game plan against Waldron, individual players had their own approaches. Duran noted that the team’s understanding of how to handle the knuckleball varied among players. “Some guys are more understanding of what they wanna see and some guys it might throw them off a little bit,” Duran explained. He emphasized the importance of personalized strategies, mentioning that he would only share insights with teammates if they asked. The collective goal was to avoid swinging at the knuckleball unless it was up and not moving much, which allowed them to put good swings on it when it was hittable.
This strategy helped Boston avoid a three-game sweep and highlighted the adaptability and readiness of the Red Sox lineup in facing the rare and unpredictable knuckleball.
