It was worth not giving up on David Price

I won’t even try to deny it. David Price has made it very easy for me to dislike him over his three seasons as one of the leading members of the Red Sox rotation.

Whether he’s been yelling at Hall of Fame pitchers on airplanes, or suffering possible video game-related injuries, or getting lit up by the Yankees, or losing postseason games left and right, he’s never really been welcomed with open arms by a large percentage of Red Sox Nation.

Even when Price pitched great for the majority of the 2018 season, going 16-7 with a 3.58 ERA, he was still a tough sell with the fans. When October rolled around, they already knew what to expect from Price. Even though he may have been one of Boston’s best pitchers during the regular season, minus a start or two against the Yankees (of course), it was almost a given that come playoff time, Price would fold like a lawn chair — the same way he had in every previous postseason game he pitched in.

And right off the bat, he lived up to the reputation. He left his ALDS Game 2 start against the Yankees in just the second inning. Even in Game 2 of the ALCS, Price didn’t pitch particularly well even though the Red Sox still won the game. It wasn’t until Game 5, the clinching game, that Price finally delivered an excellent postseason performance.

And I’m here to say that, even though Price has been incredibly frustrating over the course of the last three years, it was worth not giving up on him. He came through once again in Game 2 of the World Series — the biggest stage in all of baseball — by pitching six innings and allowing just two runs on three hits, picking up the win as the Red Sox defeated the Dodgers 4-2 at Fenway.

Thanks to Price, the Red Sox are now heading to Los Angeles with a 2-0 lead in the World Series, and they are currently 5-0 on the road in the 2018 postseason. Thanks to yet another outstanding effort by Price, the Red Sox are now in position to close this World Series out at Dodger Stadium.

I know a lot of you gave up on Price. I definitely came close. He’s given us all plenty of reasons to want to call it quits.

But fortunately, the Red Sox themselves never gave up on Price. And if he helps them win a World Series title, then the past frustrations will have all been worth it.