ARLINGTON, Texas -- In many respects, this one had all the makings of that sort of meaningless Game No. 157 that suggests everyone is counting the minutes toward Sunday's final pitch.
Two teams with no hopes of playing beyond September, trudging through a 90-degree Texas night while avoiding pulled muscles and broken bones.
And while many traits of the Red Sox' 12-10 win over the Rangers Tuesday night screamed meaningless baseball, there was a noteworthy story built within the 3 hours and 59 minutes. For that they can thank Eduardo Rodriguez and the remnants of the cohesiveness that last season's World Series run was built on. (For a complete recap, click here.)
Rodriguez needed to win this game in order to gain his 20th of the season Sunday. He knew. Alex Cora knew it. And his teammates knew it. And everyone acted accordingly.
"With Mookie (Betts), coming out of the hotel ... he tells me, 'I'm going to play today because of you.' I said, 'Thank you, bro, appreciate it.' You see the lineup they put out today to try to get me that win and they did it," Rodriguez said after becoming the first Red Sox lefty starter since Jon Lester in 2010 to win 19 games. "I was just part of that win. I didn't even do nothing today. I would say get through five but I don't feel really good about it. I just feel good to get to 19."
Rodriguez deserved a mountain of credit to get to this point, serving as the undeniably most reliable pitcher on the staff. But this time around he needed help, from all corners of the clubhouse.
First, it was the bats who picked up the starter, managing to score in each of the first five innings for a 12-5 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth. Considering Rodriguez had allowed four runs in the first and another in the second, it was understood early on this was not going to mirror his recent outings.
"It's not even my win," said Rodriguez, who came just the second Red Sox starter in the last 24 seasons to earn a win in an outing of five innings and seven or more runs allowed. "That win is for the team, the lineup, everything they do, up there grinding to score more runs. I would say that's not my win. The ones I had before were mine, but this one wasn't mine. I was part of the team but everything they did there to get a win for me was really special. Just sitting there, everybody pitching up there, hitting the ball, making plays and everything, that was special to watch."
There was also the faith exhibited by his manager Alex Cora. That was put on display when Rodriguez got into trouble once again in the fifth, putting runners on the corners after already giving up two runs in the frame. So with the left-hander sitting at 111 pitches and Elvis Andrus at the plate, Cora gave his guy a mandate.
Two pitches later, Christian Vazquez was ending the drama by throwing out Delino DeShields curiously trying to steal second.
"This is the last hitter, if you get him out good for you, if you don't get him out you're coming out of the game," said Cora when asked what he said during his mound visit. "I forgot the part where Christian throws him out."
"He just told me you got one more hitter, you decide what you're going to do," Rodriguez said. "You're either going to take yourself out of the game or you're winning this game."
Now Rodriguez gets to pitch again Sunday, with the Red Sox rolling out another regular lineup against the Orioles because of the occasion. With 3 2/3 innings he will reach 200, and with one win the Sox will have their first 20-game winner since Rick Porcello in 2016.
As was evident by the Red Sox' reaction this time around, they'll take it.
"It's another game, the last game of the season, still another game for me," Rodriguez said. "Just finish strong. That was the plan when I got here in spring training, finish the season strong, get ready for the next one."
200th K ✔️19th win ✔️ pic.twitter.com/XKVdc29sWo
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 25, 2019
