Left-handed reliever Tyler Samaniego made his major league debut for the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, striking out the side in the eighth inning of a 5-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park. The 27-year-old was called up from Triple-A Worcester after Justin Slaten went on the injured list with a right oblique strain. Samaniego dedicated the moment to his late father, Richard Sr., who introduced him to baseball and passed away at age 65 at the end of the 2022 season.
Tyler Samaniego woke up Wednesday morning in his Worcester apartment planning to pitch for Triple-A Worcester at Polar Park. At 9:30 a.m., WooSox manager Chad Tracy informed him of the call-up to Boston for the 1:35 p.m. game against the Brewers. Samaniego drove 44 miles to Fenway Park, arriving in time to contribute to the shutout win before a crowd of 28,660. Red Sox manager Alex Cora praised Samaniego's acquisition from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Dec. 4 in a trade headlined by Johan Oviedo. Cora noted, “Besides being a lefty, he has good stuff. This kid, when we pulled the trade, he was a guy that we really wanted. He pounds the strike zone, and it’s an uncomfortable at-bat for lefties.” Samaniego's debut carried deep emotion as he honored his father, whose nickname “Pops” is stitched on his Rawlings glove as “Rip, Pops.” “I got him on my glove every time I go out there. He’s out there with me,” Samaniego said. He added, “I know he was out there with me. So it was just awesome.” Family members reacted with excitement but could not attend; they plan to be in St. Louis for the upcoming series. Starter Sonny Gray set the tone with 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits, two walks and two strikeouts over 90 pitches. Gray earned a standing ovation and said, “I was just thinking ‘happy flight, happy flight.’ You want to win on getaway day.” The victory marked Boston's first series win and two-game streak of 2026, following Garrett Crochet's strong outing the night before. Catcher Carlos Narváez said, “We’ve got to move forward. We won this series. That’s all that matters now.”
