Josh Winckowski Honored To Be Back With Red Sox After Triple-A Stint
BOSTON — Josh Winckowski came out of the bullpen for the Red Sox on Tuesday night after being recalled by Boston on Monday.
The right-hander pitcher allowed two runs on six hits while striking out eight Blue Jays batters in the Red Sox’s 9-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park.
“Felt good,” Winckowski told NESN.com on Wednesday. “It was nice to see all the guys again. That was probably the toughest part; was just missing everybody.”
Winckowski had been sent down to Triple-A Worcester in mid-May after amassing a 1-1 record with a 3.33 ERA across 12 appearances with Boston.
“It’s nice, the work you put in in Triple-A, you get out there and kind of see it work out, come to fruition,” he said. “It was a really nice thing (to be back on the mound).”
Even though Winckowski had started on Tuesday in Worcester, coming out of the bullpen didn’t change his mindset when he got the call.
“You understand the situation,” he explained. “When the phone rings in whatever inning it was, you kind of understand what’s going on, so it felt normal. Just take it one batter at a time and just keep going until (Red Sox manager Alex Cora) shakes your hand.”
Winckoski said he kept an eye on the Red Sox while he was in Worcester.
“It’s been awesome,” he said. “I’ve been watching from Worcester; it’s been a ton of fun. We always root for the guys down there and check in as much as we can.
“The guys have been playing really good, exciting baseball up here. It’s an honor to be up here and be a part of it now and hopefully keep it going and help contribute.”
Cora confirmed that Winckowski would get the start in the finale of the Red Sox’s three-game series with the San Diego Padres on Sunday. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN following an hour of pregame coverage.