The Boston Red Sox opened the season with seven consecutive games in which their starting pitcher allowed one run or less. That streak came to an end when Rick Porcello gave up a pair of runs in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays.
It was inevitable that this historic stretch would eventually end. Boston’s rotation had already set an MLB record with this dominant streak. Red Sox starters entered the day with a collective 0.86 ERA, the best mark by any team’s rotation since the Atlanta Braves in 1993.
That ERA will go up a bit after Porcello’s start but not by much.