“Just trying to find any way I can to put the ball in play and score a run there. Just fighting.”
By Kaley Brown
3 minutes to read
With the Houston Astros in Boston for a three-game weekend series at Fenway Park, it felt like former Astro and current Red Sox Alex Bregman would inevitably be the star of Friday night’s contest.
Bregman did notch two hits in the first game of the set, but it was rookie phenom Roman Anthony who was the star of the show for Boston.
The 21-year-old former No. 1 prospect recorded his first career walk-off hit in the 10th inning, a RBI single to center field to score Wilyer Abreu to break the 1-1 tie.
Anthony had a simple strategy entering his fifth at-bat of the night: make contact.
“Just trying to fight,” he said of his attack plan immediately following his milestone hit. “Just trying to find any way I can to put the ball in play and score a run there. Just fighting.”
In his on-field interview with Apple TV+, Anthony credited his teammates for keeping their chins up despite a collectively quiet night in the batters’ boxes.
“We’re resilient,” he said. “We’ve got a resilient group of guys. We love each other so much. We have such a great group. We’re so tight. We just never give up.”
“I’m just happy with how tight we are as a group,” Anthony later added. “I love these guys. It’s so fun to come to the ballpark every day. These fans are amazing, the city’s amazing, and I love it here.”
While speaking with reporters after the game, he said he could get used to walking games off.
“It’s amazing. It’s fun. I want to do it again already,” Anthony said (via The Boston Globe‘s Tim Healey).
Since debuting with Boston on June 9, Anthony is batting .283 with an .829 OPS. He’s logged 43 total hits, 14 of those being doubles and two home runs. Anthony’s also drawn 25 walks.
His latest knock was perhaps his most important thus far.
The game ended excitingly for Anthony and the Red Sox, but the contest was anything but that in prior innings. Boston committed three errors on the night (albeit two were made by pitchers) and didn’t plate a run until the seventh frame, a sacrifice fly by Abreu to knot the low-scoring game.
However, starting pitcher Cooper Criswell tossed seven strong innings for the Red Sox, allowing one earned run (a second-inning home run to Christian Walker) and striking out four batters.
After him, the bullpen shut things down: Garrett Whitlock K’d one in the eighth inning, Aroldis Chapman did the same in the ninth, and Greg Weissert recorded the win in the 10th.
It was an impressive comeback win for Boston, which played its MLB-most 17th extra-inning game. The Red Sox now own a 7-10 record in those games this season. What made it even more impressive was the fact that it came the day after Boston’s lackluster trade deadline.
All of the attention surrounding chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s inability to make a splash at Thursday’s deadline could have weighed the club down, especially considering they trailed early in the contest. Instead, the team pulled itself together late in the game and walked it off at home, eliciting a raucous Fenway crowd.
The Red Sox are 35-21 at home this season; they haven’t had a winning record at Fenway since 2022. If they can keep that up and persevere with a winning record over the next two months, Boston may be able to compete in a playoff baseball game for the first time since 2021.
Following Friday’s win, the Red Sox (60-51) are four games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the American League East. They also continue to hold the second AL wild card spot with teams such as the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers not far behind.
Boston will look to take the series against Houston in Game 2 on Saturday. Walker Buehler is set to pitch for the Red Sox, with Colton Gordon on the mound for the Astros. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 P.M. Eastern Time.
Kaley Brown
Sports producer
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