Bradley's 2024 ends with metaphorical final start vs. Red Sox

BOSTON -- With his delivery taking him down the mound and slightly toward first base, Taj Bradley reached his glove across his body, snagged a bouncing comebacker from Connor Wong and fell onto his backside on the mound. Nearly laid out flat, Bradley leaned forward, grabbed the ball out of his glove and fired it to first baseman Yandy Díaz before Wong could run down the line.

“It shows I'm an athlete,” Bradley said, grinning. “I said it before, but people don't believe me.”

In another way, the final out of the 23-year-old right-hander’s season may have been the perfect representation of the 25 starts he made this year. Whenever he was knocked down, he found a way to get back up.

As he walked off the field, Bradley ended his season with a smile on his face. He finished the night with another special moment, too. After the game, Bradley took his mother, Ana Mosley, out to left field to sign the inside of the Green Monster, just as he did as a rookie last year.

Bradley had plenty more to be happy about Friday night at Fenway Park, as he struck out seven over six scoreless innings and earned the win in the Rays’ 2-1 victory over the Red Sox.

“It's always good to go into the offseason with a good start, a good taste in your mouth, stuff like that,” Bradley said. “I just felt good with everything. There was stuff [pitching coach Kyle Snyder] and I talked about for the past few weeks, and I was able to execute. And I was just giddy coming up the mound, knowing that I did that.”

Bradley’s second season in the Majors was defined by streaks and stretches. After giving up nine runs and recording 10 outs in Baltimore on June 1, he went 5-1 with an MLB-best 0.82 ERA over a nine-start run from June 8 until July 25. Then came the adversity, as he went 0-7 with a 7.88 ERA in his next nine starts.

And Bradley headed into the offseason on a high note. Last time out, he earned a win over the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field while allowing just one run in five innings. On Friday, he overpowered Boston’s lineup with fastballs and cutters while allowing only three hits and a walk.

“That’s huge for him,” said right fielder Josh Lowe, who doubled in one run in the seventh and scored another on pinch-hitter Christopher Morel’s bases-loaded walk. “He dominated. Had it all going -- swings and misses, pounding the strike zone. Impressive.”

Before making his final start, Bradley said he was proud of his ability to “overcome adversity for a long period of time.” That could even stretch back to the beginning of the year, as he sustained a right pectoral strain in Spring Training -- his first injury as a professional baseball player -- and had to start the season on the injured list.

But the injury only cost him about a month, and he didn’t show any signs of wear and tear the rest of the way. On Thursday, Bradley noted with a smile that he felt so physically fresh and strong, it was like he was back in Spring Training. He backed that up in his final outing, with his fastball averaging 96.7 mph and touching 98.9 mph, looking like a pitcher with plenty of gas left in the tank.

“Couldn't be more pleased with the way that outing unfolded for him to go into the offseason with,” manager Kevin Cash said. “It's been a unique season for him. … To finish strong, he's got to be really proud of himself. I know we are.”

For all the ups and downs he experienced, Bradley showcased his front-of-the-rotation ability and gave the Rays another reason to be excited about the potential of their 2025 rotation.

Bradley will finish the season with an 8-11 record, a 4.11 ERA and 154 strikeouts in 138 innings. He worked at least six innings in 13 of his 25 starts and allowed three earned runs or fewer in 17 outings.

He also joined Scott Kazmir (four times) and Joe Kennedy (twice) as the only pitchers in Tampa Bay history to make at least 20 starts in multiple seasons before turning 24 years old, and he became the third Rays pitcher to record at least 150 strikeouts at age 23 or younger, joining Kazmir (three times) and Matt Moore (once).

“I'm very confident and know he's going to get better and will be better,” Cash said. “But I mean, I don't think we could expect much more and ask for much more. … The run prevention, the strikeouts, the lack of hits -- just a tremendous season for him.”