There wasn’t much more Kaleb Ort could do but wait.
After 75 games over the past two seasons in Triple-A — most as the WooSox closer — there wasn’t much more Ort could do to earn a call-up. He’d saved 34 games in 38 opportunities. This year opponents were hitting .185 against Ort.
He made one appearance in Boston last year as an emergency COVID call-up, but he wasn’t on the Red Sox 40-man roster. The Red Sox had to have a need and an opening for the 6-foot-4 Michigan native to get a real chance.
With injuries decimating the Boston pitching staff in recent weeks, he was called up late Saturday and made his debut Sunday.
Ort, a 30-year-old who the Red Sox got in the minor league Rule 5 draft from the Yankees, made his only 2021 appearance in Seattle. Sunday marked not only his first Fenway appearance, but it came on national TV against the best team in baseball.
“It’s everything. You wait for these moments to pitch in a park like this against a huge rival,” he said. “It’s awesome. This park is awesome.”
He made the most of his moment. Ort replaced Nick Pivetta with two on and one out in the fourth and faced Aaron Judge. But he got the favorite for American League MVP to fly out and Anthony Rizzo to pop out to end the inning.
Ort had to work around two runners in the fifth after a single and a throwing error by Christian Vázquez, but he induced a double-play bouncer to end the inning before turning the game over to Hirokazu Sawamura.
“I’m excited to be here,” Ort said after Boston’s 11-6 win. “It was fun. I was just trying to do my job and give the boys a chance.”
Christian Vázquez was impressed.
“He was very good,” Vázquez said. “I like him a lot. He was sharp. Very good.”
Ort’s effort set the tone for the rest of the night as he, Sawamura, Matt Strahm and Ryan Brasier combined for 5.2 scoreless innings giving the offense time to come back.
“(Ort) getting out of the fourth inning and getting us five outs was a nice outing,” Cora said. “Then Sawa was amazing. We needed that because we were very short in the bullpen.”
J.D. Martinez tipped his cap to the bullpen.
“That was big. Being able to shut them down was huge,” Martinez said. “They were able to shut them down and give us a chance.”
Full article can be found at: https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2022/07/red-sox-rookie-kaleb-ort-thrives-in-first-fenway-game-you-wait-for-these-moments-in-a-park-like-this-against-a-huge-rival-its-awesome.html