Red Sox pitchers tend to see long at-bats, too

You already know that the Red Sox boast a pitch-grinding lineup, that four Red Sox players rank among the American League leaders in pitches per plate appearance.

But it's not just the hitters.

As a team, Red Sox pitchers throw more pitches per plate appeance (3.93) than any other American League team. Individually, here's a cross-section of the American League leaderboard:

1. Erik Bedard, Seattle: 4.10
2. Jon Lester: 4.04
3. Justin Verlander, Detroit: 4.03
4. Matt Garza, Tampa Bay: 4.00
5. Josh Outman, Oakland: 4.00
8. Brad Penny: 3.95
14. Josh Beckett: 3.91
23. Justin Masterson: 3.85
59. Tim Wakefield: 3.47

Obviously, while better hitters tend to see more pitches, the opposite does not hold true for pitchers. Strikeout pitchers, after all, are going to throw more pitches per plate appearance than contact pitchers.

And, not surprisingly, the Red Sox average more pitches per start (100) than any other American League team and have seen their starters throw more than 100 pitches more times (42) than any other American League team, too.