BOSTON – In a game marred by a benches-clearing melee, Nationals starting pitcher Cade Cavalli delivered a career-best 13-strikeout performance as Washington topped the Red Sox, 8-1, on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. Cavalli retired 19 batters in a row to conclude a seven-inning outing. He allowed just one hit – a leadoff double by Anthony Seigler on Cavalli’s third pitch of the game – and one unearned run with no walks. The one hit was the fewest allowed by Cavalli in his career. “He’s a bulldog out there,” said Nationals manager Blake Butera. “He competes, and I thought he had some of the best stuff I had seen.” Cavalli is the first Nationals pitcher to throw seven or more innings with 10 or more strikeouts and allow one hit or fewer since Max Scherzer on April 14, 2018, against the Rockies. Cavalli hurled his four-seamer on 47% of his pitches. It averaged 97.3 mph, and he had a 45% whiff rate with it. Cavalli also mixed in a knuckle curve, a sweeper, a sinker and a changeup. “I loved the way that he was competing,” said catcher Keibert Ruiz. “He was getting ahead, attacking and throwing pitches to put away hitters. It was nasty today.” In the midst of Cavalli’s outing, he was involved in a fracas with Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras following a strikeout in the fourth inning. Words were exchanged, and the benches and bullpens converged. Contreras, Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy and Red Sox utility player Nate Eaton were ejected.
