BOSTON -- Austin Maddox made the most of his big league debut for the Red Sox on Saturday, retiring all three batters for a scoreless seventh inning in a 7-1 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
"My main focus was to come in, pound the zone and attack hitters like I've always done," said Maddox, who relieved Rick Porcello and sent down Marwin Gonzalez, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. "It's always nice to put up zeros no matter where you're at."
Maddox, 26, was promoted to Boston's roster on Wednesday from Triple-A Pawtucket for his first stint in the Majors. He became the first Red Sox reliever to not allow a baserunner with at least one inning pitched in his debut since lefty Edwin Escobar did so on Aug. 27, 2014.
"Very good," said Boston manager John Farrell. "Good power, showed some tilt to his slider. You watched the body language and the mound presence and he embraced the moment. This is a young guy that's been on the come this year … Very quick, very solid inning through the heart of their order."