Foster Griffin's unique start against Red Sox could complicate Guardians postseason pitching plans 

On Wednesday, Guardians starter Foster Griffin took the mound for the Guardians in their eventual 1-0 loss to the Red Sox and did something that no big league starter has ever done before. 

Although the main strokes of his start looked extremely familiar (six innings, one run allowed), the way he got there had never been done before. 

He may have allowed just one run, but he gave up 10 hits with seven strikeouts and no walks allowed — making him the first pitcher in MLB history to record that pitching line. And if that’s not enough, all 10 of the hits he allowed were singles. 

Needless to say, it was a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, he held a stellar Red Sox lineup to just one run while holding the Red Sox to no extra base hits. But on the other hand, it allowed 10 hits and had to work around traffic all night. 

Foster Griffin's recorded a pitchergami in his start against the Red Sox

While Griffin’s start against the Red Sox showed how deft Griffin is at pitching with runners on base, there’s no way Stephen Vogt is going to allow him to give up 10 hits in a postseason start. 

Every pitcher’s leash gets tighter in the postseason, and Vogt has spent the past two years tightening the leash around his pitchers. 

In 2024, Vogt pulled Matthew Boyd after two scoreless innings in the Guardians’ winner-take-all game against the Tigers in the ALDS. Last year, Tanner Bibee went just 4 1/3 innings in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series after allowing five hits and three walks. 

Griffin may not have allowed a walk, but he allowed two more baserunners in his start against the Red Sox than Bibee did in that aforementioned postseason start. 

He only had one 1-2-3 inning (the fourth inning) and allowed multiple singles in three of the six innings he worked. In a bit of irony, the Red Sox’s run in the sixth inning came in an inning where Boston had just one hit. 

Jarren Duran led the inning off with a single, reached second base on a fielder’s choice from Caleb Durbin and then came around to score on a two-out single from former Guardians farmhand Andruw Monasterio. 

We know that Parker Messick and Gavin Williams are going to start the first two games for the Guardians regardless of the postseason series they play in, but the third spot is a bit up in the air. 

Tanner Bibee has been a huge part of the Guardians’ postseason plans in the past two seasons, but he’s in the midst of the worst month of his career. Joey Cantillo made 30 starts for the Guardians this year, but he’s had some success in September working as a bulk reliever. 

And then there’s Griffin. The Guardians staked their claim as a contender when they acquired him for four prospects, and he’s had some ups-and-downs in the time since. 

Wednesday’s start was the third time he’s recorded a quality start for Cleveland, but he’s also had two starts where he’s allowed 5+ earned runs. 

One key factor that could change how Griffin is used in the postseason is whether the Guardians win the American League Central or not. 

If the Guardians win the AL Central then they’d get an automatic bid to the best-of-five American League Division Series that would allow them to adjust their pitching staff around the series’ built-in off days. 

On the other hand, the Wild Card Series is a best-of-three sprint played in a 72-hour span that requires three starters. 

While Griffin’s outing against the Red Sox had some big positives, there were just as many things to be concerned about. 

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