Johan Oviedo’s Five-Run First Inning in Boston Feels Like Forever Ago (+)

PITTSBURGH — For Johan Oviedo, his 2023 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t have gotten off to much worse of a start.

In his first inning of his first start of the season back on Apr. 3 against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, Oviedo surrendered five runs, four of which were earned, on three hits. All three of those hits wnet for home runs.

It took the right-hander 30 pitches to get through a long and grueling first inning, but Oviedo struck out Kiké Hernandez to end the frame, perhaps serving as a bit of foreshadowing for what was to come.

Over his next 3.2 innings of that start, Oviedo blanked the Red Sox as the Pirates went on to defeat Boston 7-6 in the first game of what would become an eventual series sweep.