Red Sox pitcher inspired by Boston fans to do well

Through nine starts this season, Boston Red Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford has been one of the best that the league has to offer.

The 28-year-old is ninth in ERA (2.24) and tied for 22nd in strikeouts (52) after allowing a season-high four runs against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

On the team's YouTube channel, Crawford received a profile where he talked about the hard-working people of Boston, and how he's inspired by them to perform.

"Bostonians, or whatever you want to call them, they love the Red Sox," Crawford said. "They love them. They're passionate. Seeing that passion in the city when you go out and you see people just always wearing a Boston Red Sox hat, the '04 World Series hat or the shirt and everything. When I take the mound, it's like, they're hard-working people, and that's kind of how I feel like how I got to where I am now. I just put my nose down, just showing up every day and just trying to get a little bit better and just working hard. I try to take that out to the mound. You don't want to let the people down. It helps motivate me a little bit more, to have a little bit more fire underneath my ass to go out there and try to dominate."

Whatever Crawford's doing this year to get ready and stay motivated, it's working.