
BOSTON â Red Sox catcher Carlos NarvĂĄez surprised manager Alex Cora when he took off to steal third base with one out in the sixth inning and Roman Anthony at the plate. Boston was trailing 3-2.
âThat was him,â Cora said.
NarvĂĄez stole third without a throw and then scored the tying run on Anthonyâs RBI single to center field. The Red Sox won 8-6 over the Tigers at Fenway Park on Monday.
âI never thought he was going to take off,â Cora said. âI saw him hopping. I was like, âOh, shoot, maybe.â And he had a great jump. So thatâs awareness. Thatâs game awareness.â
It marked the second stolen base of NarvĂĄezâs big league career.
âHe always talks about (how) he can steal bases, especially third … just paying attention to the game, feeling the tempo,â Cora said.
NarvĂĄez made his move against Detroit left-handed reliever Brant Hurter after his one-out double.
âThe guy was committed to go to plate,â Cora said.
While NarvĂĄez isnât known as a base stealer, he had 23 stolen bases in the minors, including nine for Yankeesâ Triple-A affiliate, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, in 2024.
âI take my chances sometimes when the pitcher is doing the same thing over and over,â NarvĂĄez said. âI was at second base the previous at-bat … He was doing the same thing for three straight pitches so I was like, OK, take my chances. Be on third base with one out and any fly ball, whatever, trying to score to tie the game. So that was the mentality.â
What did Hurter do over and over that NarvĂĄez saw?
âHe was mixing one look and then going to the plate,â NarvĂĄez said. âKind of like same tempo every time.â
NarvĂĄez said it all depends on the game situation.
âIf weâre down by five or weâre up by five, I donât want to put any risk,â NarvĂĄez said. âBecause thatâs not my game. But if … Iâve got the tempo, if being on third base in that spot is huge, Iâm just trying to take my chances.â
NarvĂĄez contributed throughout the game, going 2 for 3 with a walk, an RBI and one run.
âOverall, we needed a game like this,â NarvĂĄez said. âIt was good for us, close the series like that.â
The Red Sox split their four-game series with Detroit. They welcome the Yankees to town for three games beginning Tuesday.
âEveryone is a big one for us, especially right now but weâve got a big one coming up (vs. New York),â NarvĂĄez said. âIt was a really good game. Good team win.â