There was a clear theme at the top of the bullpen ERA leaderboard last season: The most effective bullpens tend to have workhorses in their starting rotation.
Chris Sale had a widespread impact on the Red Sox’ pitching staff in his first year with the club. Not only was he a Cy Young Award contender who led the majors with 308 strikeouts, but his 2141⁄3 innings also ranked first.
With all those innings from their ace, plus reliable performances from Rick Porcello and Drew Pomeranz, the rotation threw 951 1⁄3 innings, tied for third-most in the majors.