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By Peter Chawaga
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Boston Red Sox won an important game on Wednesday as they took care of business against the Athletics and maintained playoff position in a competitive wild card race.
But the win did not come easily. Veteran starter Lucas Giolito gave up four earned runs on five hits in just over four innings, digging a hole that the Red Sox were eventually able to overcome.
And even though it wasn't his best performance, those four innings were enough for Giolito to activate a major change in his contract.
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"By completing four innings in Boston's 5-4, walk-off victory, Giolito went over the 140-inning mark and converted a club option for next season into a mutual option, effectively guaranteeing that he will hit free agency," Chris Cotillo reported for MassLive. "Barring a late contract extension or some other unforeseen development, Boston will pay Giolito a $1.5 million buyout as he enters the open market after a strong, healthy season at age 31."
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Despite his latest start, Giolito has a solid 3.46 ERA across 25 outings so far this season. With free agency ahead, he could earn a three-year deal worth more than $61 million, per Spotrac.
But when asked about the change in his contract status, the pitcher had three simple words in response.
"I don't care," Giolito said, per Smith. "I'm disappointed in my performance (Wednesday). This could have been a much easier win than it had to be. I've taken the approach to not try to think about that kind of stuff and really just focus on taking the ball and giving the team a chance to win."
Though Giolito is disappointed in his latest start, he'll have a chance to pitch some more critical innings before the season, and perhaps his tenure with the Red Sox, comes to a close.
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