Why Red Sox' Hunter Dobbins has had Yankees start ‘circled on calendar'
NEW YORK — Hunter Dobbins wasn't one of the young Red Sox pitchers competing for an Opening Day roster during the final days of spring training.
Boston optioned him to minor league camp 16 days before the regular season opener.
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But 66 games into the 2025 season, Dobbins has thrown the fourth most innings (44 ⅓) among Red Sox pitchers. His 10th outing and eighth start will come today on Sunday Night Baseball against the Yankees here at Yankee Stadium.
This start — opposite ace Carlos Rodón (8-3. 2.49 ERA) — will be a special one for him.
'Growing up with my dad being a Red Sox fan, this has been always kind of one of those starts that I've had circled on my calendar,' Dobbins said Friday. 'I've been looking forward to it for a long time. And being able to make that start in a Red Sox uniform, it's gonna be special.'
Dobbins' dad, Lance Dobbins, pitched in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization and played Indy Ball. He was close friends with former Red Sox manager Grady Little. Lance and Grady got to know each other well when Little's young brother Tom Little, now an agent at Ballengee, coached Lance in summer ball.
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'He's been a Red Sox fan since he was little,' Dobbins said about his dad. 'He said they were the ones that were always on TV. So that's who he watched and fell in love with.'
Dobbins never had a favorite team growing up in Texas.
'I watched the Astros, watched the Rangers but I knew I wanted to do this as a career,' he said.
His career has gotten off to a nice start.
Dobbins made his MLB debut April 6 when the Red Sox needed a starter for the second game of a doubleheader against the Cardinals. Back then, Dobbins said, 'I knew I'd get a shot this year if I just stuck to business as usual, did my thing. I didn't know it was gonna be this quick.'
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But Dobbins no longer feel like things have gone quickly.
'Not really,' Dobbins said. 'They told me when they put me on the 40-man to protect me from the Rule 5 that they expected me to contribute this year. I feel like the adjustments I made and the tweaks I made in the offseason kind of put me in position for it.'
Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Brayan Bello are the only three Red Sox pitchers who have thrown more innings than the righty.
Dobbins was behind Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester and Cooper Criswell on the starting pitching depth chart in spring training. Boston traded Priester to the Brewers on April 7. Fitts began the season in the rotation but he missed time on the IL with a pectoral strain and got optioned to Worcester earlier this week. Criswell made the Opening Day roster but he has spent most of this season with the WooSox.
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'Obviously there have been moves, there have been injuries that kind of pushed me up here outta necessity, but just doing what I can,' Dobbins said.
Dobbins said putting on weight was the most important thing he did this past offseason.
'I know to hold up for 162-plus (games) I couldn't be at 180, 200 pounds, so I got up to 210 now,' he said. 'Got stronger and ultimately started throwing a little bit harder. I'm not a huge Plyo ball guy but I found ways to add some velo my way and put myself in the right spot.'
Dobbins ranks in the 74th percentile among major leaguers in average fastball velocity (95.6 mph).
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'The tempo is good. He understands his stuff,' manager Alex Cora said. 'Obviously (still working) to get him over the hump in that third time through a lineup, even the second time through the lineup usage-wise and how we're going to do it. But so far, it's been good.'
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