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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2023 4:25:27 GMT -5
Alex Cora missed Red Sox walkoff homer that Alex Verdugo envisioned hitting
Updated: May. 02, 2023, 2:01 a.m.|Published: May. 01, 2023, 11:31 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Manager Alex Cora didn’t see Alex Verdugo’s 385-foot walkoff home run in the ninth inning that landed in the Red Sox bullpen.
Cora was chatting with reliever Josh Winckowski who had just pitched the eighth and ninth innings against the Blue Jays.
“Honestly, I didn’t even see it,” Cora said. “I was talking to Wink about something the next inning and then all of a sudden, the whole dugout kind of went quiet. I look up, I was like, ‘Oh.’”
Cora was telling Winckowski he planned to send him back out to pitch the 10th inning if the Red Sox failed to score in the bottom of the ninth. But the conversation ended abruptly.
Verdugo’s homer was his third walkoff hit this season and his second in the past three games. The Red Sox won 6-5 over the Blue Jays at Fenway Park on Monday.
Verdugo now has eight career walkoff hits, including two walkoff homers.
He connected on a 93.8 mph four-seam fastball right down the middle of the plate from righty Jordan Romano.
“I live for it, bro,” Verdugo said. “I live for that moment. Some people think about the negative results of it. Some people think, ‘If I don’t do this, it’s all on me.’ I’m blessed with that opportunity to do it. You don’t go up there thinking about failure. You go up there and think, ‘I have a chance to help out the team to win a ballgame.’ And I thrive for that moment. We know you’re not always going to do it. But what I can control is seeing pitches, having a good at-bat, putting a good swing on the ball. And that’s all I’m trying to do in those moments. And the game dictates what you need to do.”
Verdugo felt the adrenaline pumping as he stepped to the plate. And so he decided to take the first pitch, which was a 96.2 mph fastball down the middle. He then laid off a slider outside.
“I kind of envisioned it,” Verdugo said. “But it wasn’t where I was forcing it to happen. I envisioned it and I think that’s why I had so much adrenaline for that first pitch. And I told myself, ‘You’ve gotta take this pitch. You’ve just gotta see it and get into that at-bat and not try to force a result.’ I think before my at-bat I was thinking about it. And then once I got up there and took the first pitch, I was like, ‘All right. Let’s just put a good swing on the ball. Let’s use the whole field.’ We just put a good swing on a fastball.”
Verdugo started to envision hitting a home run during the top of the ninth while he was out in right field.
“I knew I was going hit it in the ninth,” Verdugo said. “I was like, ‘Man, I just want to end this.’ But that was all in the outfield when I’m out there just talking to myself. And then I got up to the plate and like I said, I needed to take that first pitch to kind of just get into that at-bat. I could have got in there and automatically swung and rolled one over to first. So I was like, ‘Man, I want to see what his heater looks like, how it’s coming out of his hand.’ I’m glad that I did.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2023 4:26:37 GMT -5
What Red Sox’s Enmanuel Valdez thought about pumping fist after first homer
Updated: May. 02, 2023, 1:53 a.m.|Published: May. 02, 2023, 12:27 a.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Red Sox rookie Enmanuel Valdez pumped his fist while jogging toward second base after belting his first major league home run Monday.
It was actually more of a punching motion than a fist pump. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter had just put the Red Sox ahead 5-3 in the sixth inning. His blast traveled 427 feet to center field and left his bat with a 106 mph exit velocity.
Boston ended up winning 6-5 over the Blue Jays on Alex Verdugo’s walkoff homer in the bottom of the ninth Monday.
Valdez connected on a 94.8 mph fastball from Blue Jays right-handed starter José Berríos.
What was he thinking about as he celebrated and punched the air?
“I was very happy because this moment happened with the team that I always wanted to play for,” Valdez said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “The Boston Red Sox have always been my team since I was a small kid. So being able to do that — my first big league home run — in a game with them and to also give the lead to the team, there were a lot of emotions going through my mind. I’m just grateful to have this opportunity.”
Valdez, like his dad Humberto, grew up a Red Sox fan. For that reason, Humberto was very excited when his son got traded to Boston. Father and son always enjoyed watching Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.
The Red Sox were able to get the ball back for Valdez who plans to give it to his father.
“I feel very happy, grateful for the opportunity,” Valdez said. “It was a big moment for me because I was giving the lead to the team.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2023 4:31:50 GMT -5
Pete Abraham
@peteabe
·
10h
Not so sure that is a ball Duran catches last season. His improvement in every aspect of the game is undeniable.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2023 4:38:19 GMT -5
Thanks to Alex Verdugo’s late-game heroics, the Red Sox are suddenly relevant again
By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated May 1, 2023, 11:52 p.m.
Alex Verdugo stepped to the plate in the ninth inning at Fenway Park on Monday night seven minutes after the Celtics suffered a brutal loss at the hands of the Joel Embiid-less Sixers across town at TD Garden.
The Red Sox were trying to avoid their own indigestion, having kicked away a two-run lead late in the game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Channel-changers were rewarded when Verdugo lined a fastball into the home bullpen to give the Sox a 6-5 victory.
That’s three victories in a row for the increasingly relevant Red Sox, now 16-14 and out of a last-place tie with the Yankees in the American League East.
The Sox have four walkoff victories this season, three on hits by Verdugo. It also was their 11th comeback victory of the season, the most in the majors.
The rotation isn’t trustworthy and they could use a shortstop, but the Sox are showing the fight that didn’t exist last season. That may not be enough to compete for a playoff spot, but there’s no chance without it.
It’s a much different team this season, but many of the players in the clubhouse still remembered the Blue Jays winning 16 of 19 against the Sox last season, including the final nine in a row.
The Jays outscored the Sox by a whopping 70 runs. It was embarrassing.
“It feels good to win this one. Last year they had our number,” Verdugo said. “It’s one of those things, man, we want to play competitive games against these guys.
“Last year there were a lot of blowouts, a lot of uncompetitive games.”
Any sort of win against the Blue Jays would have been a nice one. But this particular one was notable in that the Sox led 5-3 through seven innings before two throwing errors by Kiké Hernández fueled a two-run eighth-inning rally by the Jays.
Verdugo led off the ninth against Jays closer Jordan Romano and decided to take the first pitch, which proved to be a very hittable fastball down the middle.
“I told myself, ‘You’ve got to take this pitch. You’ve got to just see it and get into the at-bat,’ ” he said.
Verdugo laid off a breaking ball then got another fastball in nearly the same spot as the first one and was sitting on it. Taking the first pitch allowed him to time up Romano.
On a warm summer night, the ball might have landed in the bleachers. But getting over the low wall fronting the bullpen was just fine. Verdugo raised his fist as he rounded the bases.
“He’s a very important piece of what we’re trying to accomplish this year,” manager Alex Cora said. “We can talk about challenging him and all that but in the end it’s what you do.”
Verdugo is hitting .311 with an .881 OPS and 18 RBIs while playing steady defense in right field. It’s still early, but that’s how you make the All-Star team.
“He’s a lot more mature,” said Justin Turner, who got to know Verdugo when they both played for the Dodgers from 2017-19. “He goes about his business better, studying pitchers, talking in hitters meetings.
“This game is more than showing up at 7 o’clock and playing. There’s a lot of preparation and work and consistency that goes into it. It’s not a game where you can go out and out-talent the game. There’s a lot more to it and he’s doing an outstanding job with the stuff off the field and that’s leading to the success on the field.”
Verdugo, who loves his designer labels, has taken to wearing a Gucci baseball cap with a red-and-black kingsnake on the front lately.
Maybe there’s something to that pricey cap. He and the Sox are showing some bite.
“Real happy right now,” Verdugo said. “But we have another one tomorrow.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2023 4:40:22 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
Lefthander James Paxton closing in on debut with Red Sox, and he prefers it be as a starter
By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated May 1, 2023, 8:31 p.m.
James Paxton had his best rehab outing yet on Sunday, tossing 5⅓ scoreless innings for Triple A Worcester and striking out eight while yielding just two hits.
The Red Sox are still determining if Paxton will need another rehab outing. Regardless, the lefthander made it clear Monday that when he does return, he wants to start.
“That’s what I’m comfortable doing,” Paxton said ahead of the Red Sox’ 6-5 walkoff win in the series opener with the Blue Jays at Fenway Park. “I feel like I can contribute best as a starter.”
The majority of Paxton’s appearances throughout his professional career have come as a starter. In fact, prior to his April 19 relief outing for Worcester, Paxton’s last relief appearance was in 2013 as a member of the Mariners’ Triple A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers.
Sox starters held a 4.99 ERA heading into Monday, the fifth worst in the majors. If you couple that with the injury to Garrett Whitlock (elbow), Paxton certainly has a strong case. With the exception of Tanner Houck, who has a 4.50 ERA, no Sox starter has an ERA under five.
Paxton has tussled with mechanics during most of his rehab outings, but that appears to be trending in the proper direction.
“It’s getting there,” Paxton said. “Sunday, I made a little tweak to the mechanics but I’m still getting consistent with it. However, it was a lot better, in and around the zone.”
Despite being with the Sox since the start of last season, Paxton has not pitched an inning for the club. He spent the better part of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery, and then a shoulder strain ended any chance at a return to the mound. He’s been on the injured list this year with a hamstring strain. The last time Paxton took the hill was in 2021 with the Mariners, making just one start before hitting the IL and ultimately undergoing surgery.
As Paxton continues to hone his mechanics, he’s talked to teammates who have dealt with the grind of trying to recover from injury after a long layoff, including Chris Sale.
“We’re very different. We don’t really compare notes that way,” Paxton said. “But we definitely talked about how hard it is to to get back after injury.”
Budding rivalry?
In April, Alex Verdugo sharply criticized Toronto’s Alek Manoah during an appearance on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast, saying the righthander is disrespectful to opponents with his reactions on the mound.
“I’ll say it right now, I think Alek Manoah goes about it the wrong way; 100 percent I think he does,” Verdugo said.
The Red Sox right fielder had a specific problem with Manoah shouting at Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero during a game last season after striking them out.
“It’s not the way it should be played. It should be played like you’re celebrating it with your team, you’re not [expletive] disrespecting another player,” said Verdugo, who went 2 for 5 with two runs and a walkoff solo home run in the ninth inning Monday. “At the end of the day we’re just trying to compete, that’s it.”
Manoah said he was aware of the comments.
“I’ve never talked to Alex,” he said. “That’s all I can say. We’ve never talked and I’ve never had a problem with him.”
Manoah is scheduled to face the Sox on Wednesday. Verdugo is 7 for 16 with two doubles and a home run against him.
Related: Abraham: Thanks to Alex Verdugo’s late-game heroics, the Red Sox are suddenly relevant again
Manoah, who finished third in Cy Young Award voting last season, is 1-1 with a 4.88 earned run average in six starts this year. He is 4-0 with a 1.46 ERA in six career starts against the Sox. Manoah has allowed two earned runs over 12 innings in two starts at Fenway.
On a roll
Masataka Yoshida had a double in the first inning on Monday to extend his hit streak to 11, tying the Rangers’ Robbie Grossman for the longest active streak in the majors … Whitlock will get testing done on his elbow Tuesday to see how he has progressed. The Red Sox starter was placed on the IL last week with right elbow neuritis … The Blue Jays’ George Springer was a late scratch Monday with a viral illness.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2023 4:46:59 GMT -5
Blue Jays @ Red Sox
Tuesday , 2nd May 2023
7pm @ Fenway
Kikuchi 4-0/ 3.00
Houck 3-1/ 4.50
Jays seek to bounce back from walk-off loss to Red Sox
FLM
The Boston Red Sox were more than happy to turn the page from a dreadful season series against the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022.
With the calendar turning to May, the two American League East rivals have renewed acquaintances for the first time this season. The second of a four-game series in Boston is set for Tuesday night.
Boston is coming off a night to remember in Monday's series opener. Alex Verdugo's ninth-inning home run capped a 6-5 win, which was the team's fourth walk-off triumph of the young season.
Toronto had been on a nine-game win streak in the head-to-head series.
The Red Sox put together a 13-hit night on Monday and have scored 21 runs over their last three games. Two of the team's young stars in Jarren Duran and Enmanuel Valdez also hit homers in the sixth inning.
Verdugo wasted little time impacting the game, leading off the first inning with a double long before his sixth walk-off RBI as a Red Sox.
"From pitch one, the first at-bat of the game kind of set the tempo for the game," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "He's in a good spot."
It was the first homer allowed by Toronto closer Jordan Romano in 36 appearances.
"I live for that moment," said Verdugo, who also had three RBIs Sunday against Cleveland. "Everybody kind of gets in there, and some people think about the negative results of it. ... I'm blessed with that opportunity to do it."
Boston pitcher Tanner Houck (3-1, 4.50) has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 25 career starts, a streak that continued in his five-inning outing last Wednesday at Baltimore.
The right-hander struck out a season-high seven in an 11-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on April 20.
He has completed at least five frames in four of his first five starts this season and has a 2.63 ERA in 13 2/3 career innings against the Blue Jays.
"Overall, it was five good innings, threw a lot of strikes, quality stuff," Cora said. "Some days are going to be like that."
Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette went 5-for-5 with a three-run homer -- his team-leading seventh of the season and second in as many games -- in the series opener.
Two of Bichette's three five-hit games have come this season.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider knows his talented club will be ready to respond from its second walk-off loss of the campaign.
"I think guys like hitting here," Schneider said prior to Monday's game. "It's a good environment to play. And it's a division team. You look forward to series like this."
All five A.L. East teams, including the Red Sox (16-14) and Blue Jays (18-11) are .500 or above.
Bichette led the lineup without center fielder George Springer, who was a late scratch from Monday's game due to a viral illness.
Yusei Kikuchi (4-0, 3.00) will start for Toronto. He has certainly pitched better than a No. 5 starter for the Blue Jays, allowing just two earned runs over his last three appearances, which covered 17 2/3 innings.
Kikuchi's best start of the young season was his most recent. He struck out eight in 5 2/3 scoreless innings Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox, allowing just four singles and one walk.
The 31-year-old lefty, who is already within two wins of his MLB career high, has allowed more than one earned run only once this season after falling out of Toronto's rotation altogether in 2022.
"I'm going onto the mound with confidence and enjoying taking on hitters," Kikuchi said
Kikuchi is 0-1 with a 4.60 ERA in 15 2/3 career innings against Boston.
--Field Level Media
Blue Jays
at
Red Sox
Tuesday, at 7:10 PM EST
Partly Cloudy
It's expected to be 51° F with a 17% chance of precipitation and 10 MPH wind blowing out in Boston at 7:10 PM EST.
Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2023 8:15:54 GMT -5
Lou Merloni
@loumerloni
·
17m
I don’t think May 2nd is the time to be talking about Playoff spots or standings. But, I do believe the reason why Sox Twitter is chirping is bc the haters keep talking about “last place” and how much this team sucks. This team is very entertaining and worth the investment.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2023 13:05:32 GMT -5
Game 31: Blue Jays at Red Sox lineups and notes
By Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated May 2, 2023, 10:11 a.m.
The Red Sox sure are making it interesting this season.
They will be going for their fourth straight win when they face the Blue Jays Tuesday night, thanks to some late-game heroics by Alex Verdugo, whose walkoff homer Monday night lifted the Sox to a 6-5 victory.
The team now has four walkoff victories this season, three on hits by Verdugo. On Monday, they improved to 16-14 and snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Blue Jays. The win also moved the Sox out of the cellar of the American League East, ahead of the Yankees, and 2½ behind Toronto for third in the division.
Lineups
BLUE JAYS (18-11):
1. George Springer (R) RF
2. Bo Bichette (R) SS
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
4. Matt Chapman (R) 3B
5. Daulton Varsho (L) LF
6. Whit Merrifield (R) 2B
7. Alejandro Kirk (R) DH
8. Danny Jansen (R) C
9. Kevin Kiermaier (L) CF
Pitching: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (4-0, 3.00 ERA)
RED SOX (16-14):
1. Alex Verdugo (L) RF
2. Justin Turner (R) 1B
3. Rob Refsnyder (R) LF
4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B
5. Enrique Hernandez (R) SS
6. Masataka Yoshida (L) DH
7. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B
8. Connor Wong (R) C
9. Raimel Tapia (L) CF
Pitching: RHP Tanner Houck (3-1, 4.50 ERA)
Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, TBS, WEEI-FM 93.7
Blue Jays vs. Houck: Bo Bichette 3-6, Cavan Biggio 0-3, Matt Chapman 1-2, Santiago Espinal 0-1, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2-6, Kevin Kiermaier 2-3, George Springer 0-4
Red Sox vs. Kikuchi: Christian Arroyo 0-5, Triston Casas 0-0, Rafael Devers 0-7, Jarren Duran 0-1, Kiké Hernández 2-6, Reese McGuire 1-5, Rob Refsnyder 0-1, Justin Turner 0-5, Alex Verdugo 3-8, Connor Wong 0-2
Stat of the day: The Red Sox have come from behind in 11 of their 16 wins, most in MLB.
Notes: Houck has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 25 career starts, a streak that continued in his five-inning outing last Wednesday at Baltimore. He’s gone at least five innings in four of his first five starts this season and has a 2.63 ERA in 13⅔ innings against the Blue Jays. … Kikuchi has allowed just two earned runs in 17⅔ innings over his last three outings, including his most recent start in which he tossed 5⅔ shutout innings against the White Sox in which he had eight strikeouts. He is 0-1 with a 4.60 ERA in 15⅔ innings against the Sox.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2023 17:20:34 GMT -5
Pete Abraham
@peteabe
·
2h
Paxton will pitch in AAA again on Friday. His rehab assignment doesn’t expire until May 8 so the Sox can kick the can down the road for a bit more.
Tarp coming off the field at Fenway Park and skies are least somewhat clearing.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2023 17:25:52 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo
@chriscotillo
·
2h
Jansen probably unavailable for the Sox again today. Whitlock is undergoing more testing today.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 2, 2023 19:25:32 GMT -5
What Red Sox’s Enmanuel Valdez thought about pumping fist after first homer
Updated: May. 02, 2023, 1:53 a.m.|Published: May. 02, 2023, 12:27 a.m. Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com Valdez, like his dad Humberto, grew up a Red Sox fan. For that reason, Humberto was very excited when his son got traded to Boston. Father and son always enjoyed watching Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. The Red Sox were able to get the ball back for Valdez who plans to give it to his father. “I feel very happy, grateful for the opportunity,” Valdez said. “It was a big moment for me because I was giving the lead to the team.” Nice story. I think Kim will enjoy it. |
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 2, 2023 19:47:54 GMT -5
Pete Abraham
@peteabe
·
10h
Not so sure that is a ball Duran catches last season. His improvement in every aspect of the game is undeniable. Much, much better all-around. Same with Verdugo. They aren't even the same players. |
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 3, 2023 4:40:02 GMT -5
Connor Wong hits game-tying, game-winning homers as Red Sox beat Blue Jays
Updated: May. 02, 2023, 11:00 p.m.|Published: May. 02, 2023, 9:51 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON — Tuesday was Connor Wong Night at Fenway Park.
The red-hot Wong hit two homers and barely missed a third as he led the Red Sox to a comeback 7-6 win over the Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Wong was 4-for-4 with the game-winning shot in the eighth inning as Boston won its season-high fourth straight game. The Red Sox are now 17-14.
Wong’s 106 mph blast off Jays righty Erik Swanson gave the Red Sox the lead in a back-and-forth game that featured both teams blowing three-run leads. The win improved Boston to 9-3 over its last 12 games and 12-6 in its last 18. The Sox have scored 28 runs over their past four games.
Boston jumped out to a 3-0 lead with runs in three consecutive innings against Jays lefty Yusei Kikuchi. After Christian Arroyo opened the scoring with his first homer of the season in the second, Rob Refsnyder made it 2-0 with an RBI single in the third. Facing his countryman Kikuchi in a lefty-on-lefty matchup, Masataka Yoshida turned around a 95 mph fastball and hit it into Boston’s bullpen for his sixth homer of the year.
Starter Tanner Houck cruised until the fifth, when the Jays chipped away at Boston’s lead then used a big swing to take one of their own. After Danny Jansen and Kevin Kiermaier laced one-hit singles and Bo Bichette walked, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. cut the deficit to one run with a two-run single. Bichette then tied the game when he scored on a passed ball. With two outs, Daulton Varsho delivered a three-run shot to seal a six-run Jays inning and give Toronto a three-run lead.
It didn’t take long for the Red Sox to battle back. Kikuchi hit Alex Verdugo with a pitch to lead off the sixth then allowed a single to Justin Turner before Refsnyder knocked another RBI single to make it 6-4. A Yoshida RBI single made it 6-5 through six.
In the sixth, Wong launched his first homer of the night — a 98.2 mph, 368-ft. solo shot off Zach Pop that tied the game. Two innings later, he put the Sox up for good with a towering, 105.2 mph, 353-ft. blast off Swanson.
With Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin both unavailable, manager Alex Cora turned to righty Josh Winckowski for the save despite the righty having pitched two innings in Monday’s win. After allowing a one-out single, Winckowski induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the game and recorded his first career save.
Yoshida continues hit streak
Yoshida (2-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB) stayed hot, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. That’s tied for the longest active hitting streak in baseball (along with Texas outfielder Robbie Grossman). Yoshida is hitting .435 (20-for-46) over the course of his streak with four homers, four doubles, 13 RBIs and four walks. His average is up to .298.
Verdugo also had two doubles in the win for Boston and scored twice.
Wong’s rockets carry Sox
According to Statcast, Wong had three of Boston’s four hardest-hit balls of the night... and that doesn’t even include his first homer. His second-inning double was the hardest-hit ball in the game, registering 113.6 mph and barely missing clearing the Green Monster. It would have been a homer in 12 of 30 parks.
Wong’s 105.4 mph single in the fifth and 105.2 mph game-winning homer were also among the six hardest-hit balls in Tuesday’s game.
Pivetta gets nod Wednesday night
Righty Nick Pivetta (1-2, 5.11 ERA) will get the ball for the Red Sox in Wednesday’s game and will face the Blue Jays for the first time since Sept. 30. The Jays will counter with ace Alek Manoah (1-1, 4.88 ERA), who was involved in a war of words with Verdugo earlier this season. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 3, 2023 4:41:45 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Josh Winckowski on first save: ‘It’s a new goal that popped up’
Updated: May. 03, 2023, 5:06 a.m.|Published: May. 03, 2023, 4:45 a.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON — Entering Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays, Red Sox manager Alex Cora found himself very short on bullpen arms. Kenley Jansen (back spasms), Chris Martin (unlikely to pitch back-to-back games two days after coming off the injured list), Brennan Bernardino (pitched three days in a row) and Kutter Crawford (threw four innings Friday) weren’t going to be used. Cora was unlikely to use Josh Winckowski, who threw 30 pitches over two innings in Monday’s win, as well.
But after Connor Wong helped rally the Sox back from a 6-3 deficit with both the game-tying and go-ahead home runs late, Cora decided to chase a win. With a 7-6 lead entering the ninth, Cora called upon Winckowski to face the bottom of Toronto’s lineup.
The result was a good one for the Red Sox. Winckowski got Danny Jansen to pop out, then after allowing a single to Kevin Kiermaier, got George Springer to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game. The save was a major league first for Winckowski, a former starter who has emerged as a dangerous weapon in Boston’s bullpen so far this season.
“When you get moved down to the ‘pen, that’s a new goal that pops up on the radar, getting a save,” Winckowski said. “Obviously, to get it nearly a month into the season is super exciting.”
Winckowski came up through the minors as a starter and made 15 starts as a rookie in 2022. With injuries hampering Boston’s pitching staff late in spring training, he made the team as a bit of a surprise in a long relief role. Quietly, the 24-year-old has been one of the breakout stars of Boston’s pitching staff throughout the first month. Pitching mostly in a multi-inning role, Winckowski owns a 1.61 ERA and 0.940 WHIP in 22 ⅓ innings.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 3, 2023 4:45:23 GMT -5
Wong's timely breakout (4-for-4, 2 HRs) fuels win over Toronto
Catcher singles, doubles, hits game-tying and game-winning homers vs. Blue Jays
2:18 AM ADT
Ian Browne
Ian Browne
@ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- Would he be able to hit? That’s what people were always asking about Connor Wong, a sound defensive catcher with a cannon of a right arm.
Of late, Wong has answered that question emphatically, and never more than on Tuesday night, when he lifted the Red Sox with the breakout game of his career.
Wong belted an equalizing solo shot over the Monster in the sixth and a go-ahead rocket over Fenway’s famed left-field wall in the eighth, fueling the Red Sox to a 7-6 win over the Blue Jays that stretched their season-high winning streak to four games.
For Wong, it was part of a 4-for-4 performance that also included a blistering double (113.6 mph) high off the Monster.
“It was great,” said Wong. “Obviously it’s something I’ve been working towards and it’s nice to have success.”
In his first 50 at-bats of the season, Wong was hitting .180 with no homers and six RBIs. Then came his past three games, in which he went 9-for-12 with three homers.
What has keyed the turnaround?
“Mostly timing,” said Wong. “And then just trusting the process and the work I've put in, that it will play in the game. [It’s] a lot of trust.”
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Speaking of trust, the Red Sox trusted that Wong and Reese McGuire could be a successful catching tandem, which was questioned by some due to the lack of name recognition.
So far, it is paying off. McGuire is hitting .327, and Wong has raised his average 110 points since last Wednesday, to .290.
“They’re doing an amazing job,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “The two of them are probably the best hitting [catching tandem] in the league so far. Defensively, [Wong’s] doing what he’s doing.”
In February 2020, when the Red Sox traded Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, the return package was Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs and Wong.
Verdugo was looked at as the player who would help right away, and he did. Downs was viewed as the prospect who would make a significant impact on the organization at some point. He did not.
Then there was Wong, a Minor Leaguer at the time, who was considered the third wheel of the deal. But chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom always thought he could be more than that, which is one of the reasons Christian Vázquez was traded to the Astros on Aug. 1. Instead of making another run at Vázquez in free agency in the offseason, Bloom stuck with the McGuire-Wong tandem that finished last season.
Though Wong hit just .188 in a 27-game stint last season, Cora frequently expressed confidence he would eventually make a contribution with the bat.
Lately, it has come to fruition.
“Connor has upside. He’s a good athlete,” said Cora. “It’s just a matter for him to keep working and keep putting himself in a good position to hit.”
Did the 26-year-old Wong always have confidence he could produce at the Major League level?
“I have confidence in myself, yeah, but I don’t really know the answer to that,” said Wong. “You’ve just got to go out there and play and see what happens.”
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In recent days, it has been happening for Wong. The key, he feels, is increased playing time.
“The more consistent AB’s you get, your eyes get used to seeing pitches, and you can take pitches better, put better swings on balls. So I think it does play a factor,” Wong said.
In what wound up being a wild game on Tuesday, the Red Sox led 3-0 after four innings, then trailed 6-3 after the top of the fifth before ultimately coming back largely on the strength of Wong’s heroics.
Starter Tanner Houck was brilliant early, firing four scoreless innings. But the heavy-hitting Jays erupted for six runs with two outs off Houck in the fifth.
Helped by Wong’s steady presence behind the plate, Houck came back and put up a goose egg for the Sox in the sixth on a night the bullpen was very short-handed.
Wong did the rest.
“He works incredibly hard,” said Houck. “To see him go out there and do it on that stage is amazing. I’m super happy for him to have an incredible day, and I hope to see much more of it.”
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