I'm starting to feel like the whole "the way the Sox used the starters in the postseason ruined them in 2019" narrative is a bit hyperbolic.
Obviously, all the pitchers pitched more last season than usual -- that's just the nature of going deep into the postseason. But, I don't think the way they were used contributed particularly to the issues they're having now.
Here's the postseason work for Sale, Porcello, Price, and Eovaldi:
Sale:
6 1/3 ALDS (1 inning relief)
4 ALCS
5 WS (1 inning relief)
Porcello:
5 2/3 ALDS (2/3 in relief)
5 ALCS (1 in relief)
4 2/3 WS
Price:
1 2/3 ALDS (1 start)
10 2/3 ALCS (2 starts)
13 2/3 WS (2/3 in relief)
Eovaldi:
7 ALDS
7 1/3 ALCS (1 1/3 relief)
8 WS (all in relief)
Besides Eovaldi, no one pitched more than an extra inning of relief in any given series. Eovaldi's usage in the WS is obviously very unusual, and perhaps rather stressful. Him aside, I don't feel like doing a little extra relief in the postseason is really to blame here. Yes, they had extra innings and thus took things slower this preseason, and the results of all that have been super ugly. I don't think it would be materially different if they hadn't picked up those extra innings, though.
Just one man's opinion, but at least we can see what they all did last October here for some context.
Obviously, all the pitchers pitched more last season than usual -- that's just the nature of going deep into the postseason. But, I don't think the way they were used contributed particularly to the issues they're having now.
Here's the postseason work for Sale, Porcello, Price, and Eovaldi:
Sale:
6 1/3 ALDS (1 inning relief)
4 ALCS
5 WS (1 inning relief)
Porcello:
5 2/3 ALDS (2/3 in relief)
5 ALCS (1 in relief)
4 2/3 WS
Price:
1 2/3 ALDS (1 start)
10 2/3 ALCS (2 starts)
13 2/3 WS (2/3 in relief)
Eovaldi:
7 ALDS
7 1/3 ALCS (1 1/3 relief)
8 WS (all in relief)
Besides Eovaldi, no one pitched more than an extra inning of relief in any given series. Eovaldi's usage in the WS is obviously very unusual, and perhaps rather stressful. Him aside, I don't feel like doing a little extra relief in the postseason is really to blame here. Yes, they had extra innings and thus took things slower this preseason, and the results of all that have been super ugly. I don't think it would be materially different if they hadn't picked up those extra innings, though.
Just one man's opinion, but at least we can see what they all did last October here for some context.