The worst pitch Doug Fister threw last night was a curveball to Francisco Lindor that sat over the middle of the plate and was demolished for a home run.
That was his third pitch. He threw 111 more, none of which resulted in another hit for the Cleveland Indians.
The veteran right-hander put together a special performance, throwing a one-hitter to lead the Red Sox past the Indians, 9-1, and give everybody in the bullpen the night off.
“The first batter definitely made me pay,” Fister said. “I threw out a bad curveball, and he really made me pay for it. So it kind of knocks you back a little bit and it puts you back where you need to be. I started to switch things up a little bit. I had a little different game plan tonight. Sandy Leon really called a great game back there.”
After the start of the game was delayed by rain for more than an hour, Fister was off in the first inning. Three batters after Lindor’s blast, he walked Edwin Encarnacion.
But only two Indians reached base the rest of the game, one on a hit by pitch and one on a walk. Both ended up out at second base on double plays.
With two relievers (Joe Kelly, Brandon Workman) unavailable after pitching Monday, and another (Matt Barnes) on the disabled list, the Red Sox needed a strong start from Fister, who entered with a 5.56 ERA since they claimed him off waivers from the Angels in June.
Fister (3-6) held the Indians to two runs in seven innings on July 31, was rocked by the Tribe two starts later on Aug 15, when he gave up five runs in 41/3 innings.
It wasn’t like Fister could change the way he pitches to give the Indians another look. The 33-year-old survives with a sinker he throws more than 50 percent of the time.
“He’s not going to invent a pitch by tomorrow or change who he is,” manager John Farrell joked Monday.
But Fister actually did change up his approach against the Indians this time.
“You think about how many sinkers he was able to bring back in over the outside edge to some right-handers and front-door a couple to get a couple of strikeouts that were key,” Farrell said last night.
“And when he ran some sinkers in on their hands, he made the appearance to the plate spread wide. He has the ability to throw his fastball and sinker to both sides. Then he also had the cutter to go to and the occasional curveball.”
Fister turned 11 grounders into outs.
“A lot of it comes down to execution,” he said.
“I’ve seen these guys a lot when I played in Detroit. They know what I do, and I know what they do, and it just comes down to getting the pitch in the right location. Tonight I was able to get the job done.”
Andrew Benintendi reached via fielder’s choice, stole second and ran home on a single by Hanley Ramirez to put the Sox up 1-0 in the first.
They manufactured another run for Fister in the second and gave him the lead when Leon scored Xander Bogaerts on a sacrifice fly.
Jackie Bradley Jr. continued his hot streak with a solo shot to left-centre in the fifth. It was his 14th of the year and just his second since July 7.
In the seventh, Leon was plunked and Bradley singled before Eduardo Nunez knocked a two-run double to left. It might have come at a price, though, since Bradley landed awkwardly on his slide into home, slapping the plate with his left hand and then immediately shaking it. He walked off the field with the trainer and left the game with a thumb injury.
Eduardo Nunez hit a three-run shot in the eighth.
It was a fun game for the Red Sox to be a part of. Fister made sure of it.
“He’s great,” right fielder Mookie Betts said. “He kept them off-balance. Great pace to the game, throwing a whole bunch of strikes. That was fun to play behind, for sure.”

RESULTS
Milwaukee 4 San Francisco 3
LA Angels 10 Texas 1
Kansas City 3 Colorado 2
San Diego 12 St. Louis 4
Minnesota 4 Chicago White Sox 1
Washington 4 Houston 3
Atlanta 4 Seattle 0
Miami 7 Philadelphia 4
Arizona 7 NY Mets 4
Boston 9 Cleveland 1
Chicago Cubs 13 Cincinnati 9
NY Yankees 13 Detroit 4
Tampa Bay 6 Toronto 5
Oakland 6 Baltimore 4
LA Dodgers 8 Pittsburgh 5
Miami 12 Philadelphia 8