How Did Ranger Suarez Look For Venezuela Against The Netherlands?
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The World Baseball Classic is underway, with each of the remaining three pools kicking off action on Friday. Team Venezuela started their tournament with a matchup against the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with new Boston Red Sox acquisition Ranger Suarez taking the mound for the opener.
World Baseball Classic rules state that starting pitchers are limited to 65 pitches in pool play to protect their arms before the regular season begins. Suarez threw 43 pitches over two innings of work, allowing one run on three hits, one walk and one strikeout.
Suarez's two innings of work were solid, but he looked to be shaking off the rust. He faced almost entirely right-handed hitters and commanded his cutter beautifully, keeping the pitch high and on the glove side. It jammed hitters, getting two foul balls, three called strikes and recorded two outs.
Where the trouble came was with his pitches on the arm side. He kept his sinker away from righties, but the ball was put in play five times, three of which went for hits. There was, however, an element of poor batted-ball luck at play, which isn't likely to be consistent over a full season.
Suarez's changeup, usually his best pitch, was the pitch that he struggled with the most. He landed the pitch on the arm side consistently, but it was often too far from the zone and wasn't enticing to hitters. He generated two whiffs on 14 pitches, a low rate considering the pitch was in the strike zone just once.
Overall, the start looked like another Spring Training outing for Suarez. His velocity and pitch shapes were in line with his 2025 season, but his command wasn't polished. With more time on the mound, look for Suarez to continue the success he had in 2025.
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