This WooSox pitcher has been 'thrown in the fire' when it comes to the top rivalries in sports

WORCESTER — Richard Fitts knows a little bit about sports rivalries.

Growing up in a family that rooted for the University of Alabama, Fitts proceeded to play baseball at Auburn University. Then, after getting drafted by the New York Yankees in 2021, Fitts was traded to the Boston Red Sox last year.

From the Iron Bowl to the Curse of the Bambino, the Worcester Red Sox pitcher has found himself in the middle of two of the biggest rivalries in sports.

No worse for the wear.

“It’s pretty cool,” Fitts said after helping the WooSox beat the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 12-5, on Tuesday. “You turn on ESPN, and they’re always talking about rivalries, so it’s cool to be involved in two of those top rivalries.”

A childhood dream

The youngest of three brothers, Fitts grew up in Helena, Alabama, chasing his older siblings around the baseball diamond.

Their mom, Angie, attended the University of Alabama. So naturally the Fitts family bled Crimson Tide. But when Fitts’ oldest brother, Trevor, went on to pitch at Mississippi State — the tide started to shift internally.

“We kind of swapped away from Alabama,” Fitts, 24, said.

“It was Alabama everything in the house, and next thing know you know, everything is out of the house,” Trevor, 31, said.

In 2013, Fitts watched his oldest brother pitch in the College World Series with the Bulldogs.

Six years later, after walking on to the Auburn University baseball team, Fitts found himself pitching in his own College World Series game — against Mississippi State — as a member of the Tigers.

“It was really cool to have both perspectives,” Fitts said.

“It was a lot more stressful than when I played in it,” said Trevor Fitts, who now works as director of player development with the University of Kentucky baseball team. “It was pretty cool. Richard got to forge his own path in every way.”

Fitts compiled a 7-6 record and 5.23 ERA across 40 appearances (117 innings) in three seasons with Auburn.

After dealing with a taxing foot injury his junior year, Fitts wasn’t sure if — or when — he would get picked in the 2021 MLB Draft.

Then, the New York Yankees came calling. Fitts was their sixth-round selection.

“I wasn’t even sure I was going to play college baseball, so to play professional baseball was kind of like one of those childhood dreams that I didn’t know if I ever would be able to do that,” Fitts said. “It kind of flipped my world upside down.”

A whirlwind around the diamond

In his first season in professional baseball, Fitts split time between Class-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley before spending the entire 2023 season with Double-A Somerset.

A 6-foot-3, right-hander, Fitts was named 2023 Eastern League Pitcher of the Year after going 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA to along with 163 strikeouts in 27 starts (152⅔ innings) for the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate.

“Ultimately, my goal isn’t to be the Double A or Triple A Pitcher of the Year, it’s to be a longtime starter in the (big leagues) and win a World Series and that kind of stuff,” Fitts said. “But when those accolades do come, it’s fun, it’s cool, and it’s rewarding to feel like someone is seeing your work hard pay off.”

On Dec. 5, Fitts was at Tinsley Performance in Pelham, Alabama, along with current Red Sox pitchers Garrett Whitlock and Cooper Criswell, when he received another phone call from the Yankees.

This time they told Fitts he was being traded to the Boston Red Sox organization — in a package for outfielder Alex Verdugo. It marked just the eighth trade between Boston and New York since the start of the divisional era in 1969.

“I could barely fall asleep the night that I got traded,” Fitts told WooSox personnel in January. “I took a step back and was like, ‘Man, there’s only been (a few) trades between the Yankees and the Red Sox.’ It’s a cool list to be on.”

On Tuesday, Fitts made his fifth start with the WooSox.

Following a shaky first frame, the Red Sox’ No. 10-ranked prospect (according to MLB.com) pitched six innings, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out seven.

Fitts improved to 2-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to 3.91.

“He was pretty much outstanding from innings two through six,” WooSox manager Chad Tracy said. “The (velocity) was ticking up as the outing went along. ... So it was a really, really good outing.”

“(Tuesday’s outing) was a good one to build off of,” Fitts added. “Something I’m really excited about moving forward.”

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From Alabama to New Jersey to Worcester, and everywhere else in between, it’s been a wild journey for Fitts on the mound.

As for being involved in two of the biggest rivalries in sports? Well, that’s just another day in the life of the WooSox pitcher.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Fitts said. “It feels like it’s been a long transition, but it also feels like I got traded yesterday.

“It kind of just feels like I was thrown in the fire a little bit, but the Red Sox have a lot of great guys that are teammates and coaches who have brought me along and have helped me along the way, and I’m thankful for that and excited to keep going.”

—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: WooSox pitcher Richard Fitts finds himself in top sports rivalries