Red Sox: Brian Johnson’s Complete Game Shutout Could Not Be More Deserved
Yesterday was the culmination of a long, dark road for Boston Red Sox pitcher Brian Johnson, one filled with injury, sadness, and speed bumps.
Back in 2012, the Boston Red Sox selected Johnson in the first round (31st overall) and had high hopes for the big lefty. For most players, being selected in the first round is the beginning of great things to come.
But for Johnson, this wasn’t so.
In 2012, at Futures Day at Fenway, a day in which young prospects are able to witness first-hand what the experience of playing at Fenway is like, he fractured multiple bones when a come-backer hit him in the face while pitching for the Lowell Spinners.
Going into 2015, the hopes were high for Johnson: he was expected at some point either in 2015 or 2016 to make the leap to the big club and be in the starting rotation. Towards the closing months of 2015, the Red Sox were struggling and bound to miss the playoffs. Because of those circumstances, the Sox moved to an almost all-rookie starting rotation. Johnson was supposed to be included in that mix until he missed the last two months of the season with elbow irritation of the ulnar nerve.
He missed two months during the 2016 season to be treated for depression and anxiety. Johnson has said that he has a family history with both.
"“Last year didn’t play out the way I thought it was going to. I’m better for having gone through that. But I think the biggest thing for me is knowing that I’m ready this year. Last year, really at no point in time until the end of the year did I feel I was ready to be in the big leagues mentally. And now I feel like I’m ready to help in any way possible. I feel great”-Brian Johnson during spring training via MassLive.com"
And then most recently, Johnson got hit in the head with another come-backer during his 2017 debut at Triple-A Pawtucket. Luckily, he was not injured in the incident and returned to make his next start.
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Earlier this year, Johnson allowed four earned runs and went five innings in a start against the Toronto Blue Jays.
By the look of the consistent setbacks and disappointments, it appeared as if Johnson’s career would be talked about as a bust. People would look back on it and wonder what could have been. Sports in general see these types of careers all the time: players who exert so much potential and never turn into anything.
But yesterday wasn’t just a special one for Johnson: it was a turning point. It was a day that Johnson has been waiting years to have.
Johnson threw a complete game five-hit shutout against the Seattle Mariners. He mowed down Mariner hitters with his eight strikeouts over 109 pitches. He became the first Boston Red Sox pitcher since Pedro Martinez to throw a complete game shutout in his Fenway debut.
Pretty elite company, huh?
At any rate, Johnson’s gem was a total change in trend from the last few years of bad luck. Johnson has been through it all and no one deserved a performance like yesterday’s more than him.
Next: Why the Red Sox have been surging of late.
Despite getting sent back down to Triple-A Pawtucket after the game to make room for David Price, Johnson seems as if he’s changed his own course.