Boston flashes some pop, but can’t keep pace as Pittsburgh piles up 21 hits
Spring training results don’t count in the standings, but some afternoons still manage to leave a mark.
Tuesday was one of those days for the Boston Red Sox, who were reminded how loud - and how long - a February game can feel when things start to snowball.
The Pirates rolled into JetBlue Park and walked out with a 16-7 win, powered by baseball’s top prospect and a relentless offensive attack that exposed some early-camp rust on the mound.
Pittsburgh racked up 21 hits and scored in every inning after the first, turning what began as a routine Grapefruit League tune-up into a long afternoon for Boston’s pitching staff.
Still, for a team integrating new arms and testing roster depth, the value wasn’t necessarily in the final score - it was in the evaluation, and there was plenty to unpack.
If you wanted to see why Konnor Griffin is widely regarded as the top prospect in baseball, Tuesday provided a pretty loud introduction.
The 19-year-old shortstop launched two home runs over the Green Monster - first off new Red Sox lefty Ranger Suarez in the second inning, then again off Seth Martinez in the fourth. The second blast traveled an estimated 440 feet and left the bat at 111.2 mph, the kind of swing that turns heads even in a backfield setting.
Suarez wasn’t shocked.
Scenes from JetBlue Park during a spring training game between the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates in Fort Myers on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. It was dog day at the park. (Andrew West/USA TODAY NETWORK/Imagn Images)“I’ve heard very good things about him. Great, great ballplayer, very good hitter. You can see that,” Suarez said through an interpreter postgame. “When you’re the top prospect in the game, people expect that from you, and he did it today.”
For a young player potentially pushing for an Opening Day roster spot, it was a statement performance - and a reminder of the kind of talent making its way through the league.
Somewhat lost in the box score was the first glimpse of Suarez in a Red Sox uniform.
The veteran left-hander allowed two runs over 1.2 innings, both coming on Griffin’s homer, but otherwise showed exactly why Boston invested heavily in him this winter.
He mixed all six of his pitches, generated soft contact, and induced a textbook inning-ending double play in the first - the kind of rally-killing moment that has defined his career.
“That’s my goal every time I get somebody on base,” Suarez said. “I try to get soft contact and try to get a double play.”
The command wasn’t pristine - it’s February, after all - but the movement, sequencing, and feel were evident. For a first outing, it was a solid foundation to build on.
On a day when pitching headlines skewed negative, Boston did show some encouraging pop at the plate.
Ceddanne Rafaela and Willson Contreras each hit their first home runs of the spring, with Rafaela turning on a pitch for a solo shot and Contreras clearing the bases with a two-run drive to right-center. Trevor Story added a 2-for-3 afternoon, and Jarren Duran worked a pair of walks, signs that the lineup still found ways to produce even while playing from behind.
After Suarez exited, though, the game tilted quickly.
The Pirates plated three runs in the fourth, four in the fifth, and three more in the ninth, consistently applying pressure as Boston cycled through arms.
Martinez was tagged for Griffin’s second homer, and the bullpen had difficulty slowing the momentum once it started rolling.
That’s part of the spring equation.
The Red Sox are evaluating depth, stretching pitchers, and fine-tuning roles with Opening Day on the horizon.
Johan Oviedo is set to make his Grapefruit League debut later today, with Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten among the arms continuing to build up as camp progresses.
The results weren’t pretty, but the calendar still reads February.
And for a club building toward March 26, the bigger picture matters far more than one afternoon’s scoreboard - even if it occasionally requires tipping your cap to the other dugout.
Jhostynxon Garcia of the Pittsburgh Pirates slides safeley into home plate during a spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Andrew West/The News-Press & Naples Daily News/USA Today Network/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.