BOSTON -- There was a lot on Kyle Bradish's mind this week as he prepared for his next start -- first pushed back from Sunday to Tuesday, then delayed until Wednesday night due to rainy conditions in Boston.
Only four days ago, Bradish signed a five-year, $90 million extension with the Orioles that made him the highest-paid pitcher in franchise history. He felt joy and excitement, and he knew the next time he took the mound -- which would have been Sunday in Houston, had he not had such an eventful weekend -- wouldn’t be like any other start.
“It was a long week, but it was amazing,” Bradish said. “I thought about this start, first one back, I just wanted to make it a good one.”
But Bradish is also a fierce competitor. And once the 29-year-old right-hander knew he’d have an opportunity to end a 15-game winning streak for the Red Sox, that became where he channeled his emotion.
“I definitely went out there with that on my mind,” Bradish said, “trying to end it.”
Mission accomplished.
Bradish tossed six stellar innings as Baltimore snapped Boston’s historic run with a 5-1 victory at Fenway Park. The O’s became the first team to beat the Red Sox since the Nationals did so on July 1.
It was a much-needed win for the Orioles (50-53), who denied the Red Sox (52-49) both a sweep and the opportunity to break the record for the longest win streak in their long history. Baltimore lost the first two games of the series, including a 6-3 defeat in the opener of Wednesday’s split doubleheader.
Bradish has been the O’s ace for much of his five-year MLB career, and he’s been among the American League’s premier starters over that span, except when he was sidelined for more than a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2024. He provided another example of why the Orioles wanted to invest so much into him this time out.
Boston scored only one run against Bradish, who cruised for much of an 89-pitch, 58-strike performance. His only blemish came in the fourth, when Willson Contreras hit a two-out double and then scored on a single by Masataka Yoshida.
“He’s done it a lot. He’s done it for many years for us,” shortstop Gunnar Henderson said. “His stuff is electric, and ever since he’s come back from injury, he’s been lights out. It’s been really fun to play behind him, and a lot of weak contact, which makes the infield a lot more fun.”
Although Bradish may not have had his best swing-and-miss stuff (nine whiffs), he leaned on his defense and gave up only four hits with one walk while recording four strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 3.49 through 20 appearances with his fifth quality start over his past six outings.
“We all know who K.B. is and what he's capable of,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “It was just great to see him go out there and kind of be that stopper for us. And he did a great job of pounding the strike zone. Fastball shapes were great. Breaking balls were outstanding and he did a great job getting us through six.”
It surely helped that Bradish worked with a sizable lead from the start of the outing. The O’s scored four runs in the top of the first, chasing Red Sox starter Eduardo Rivera with two outs in the inning as the left-hander labored during a brief 41-pitch outing.
Dylan Beavers knocked a two-run single and Johnathan Rodríguez had an RBI double (his first hit for Baltimore) during the rally in the opening frame.
“You play one game and then there's a lull to get back out there, so proud of our guys coming out, being ready to go from pitch one,” Albernaz said. “Our offense did a great job of grinding out at-bats, getting good pitches to hit and kind of just keep on keeping the line moving.”
The Orioles are three games back of the third AL Wild Card spot (currently occupied by the Red Sox) with nine games to play before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. That margin would have been five if Boston had won the finale. So it was quite important for Baltimore to not allow that to happen.
“At this point, every win’s important. But they’re right in front of us in the standings,” Bradish said. “So being able to take one is really big for this team.”
Bradish knows what it’s like to pitch in October. He did so in 2023, when Baltimore went 101-61, won the AL East and faced Texas in the AL Division Series. And he’s confident he’ll pitch in the postseason again for this club.
That’s why Bradish was excited to get a long-term deal done and fully lock in on trying to help the Orioles reach their maximum potential.
“I’m really happy. From the top down, everybody’s committed to the same goal. And that’s winning and getting back to the playoffs and eventually winning the World Series,” Bradish said. “I definitely feel that from the coaching staff and all the players here.”