Red Sox Slugger Almost Never Received Chance To Play Hero Vs. Yankees

The Red Sox offense relied on the home run ball Sunday night, mashing five homers in their 11-7 victory over the New York Yankees.

The first blast came off the bat of second baseman Kristian Campbell, tying the game 2-2 in the fifth inning. Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu responded by hitting a solo home run in the bottom half of the frame to put the Yankees back in front.

In the sixth inning, Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon showed signs of fatigue by putting Rafael Devers and Rob Refsnyder on base due to a lack of command. The Boston offense had an opportunity to put runs on the board before the stellar New York bullpen took over when Carlos Narvaez stepped to the plate.

In a 1-1 count, Rodon through a fastball high and inside that Narvaez fouled off. The left-handed starter went back to the same spot on the very next pitch, and Narvaez was ready for it. He hit the ball 372 feet to left field to put the Red Sox ahead 5-3.

In another timeline, however, he never would have had a chance to swing the bat.

According to Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, the catcher almost got Sunday night off.

Even better, Narvaez told the media he considered bunting.

“I was in my head a little bit to bunt there to be honest,” he said. “I talked to Huddy (third base coach Kyle Hudson) and it’s like, ‘OK, I’m just gonna be aggressive.'”

The decision to remain aggressive paid off in a big way. Rodon left the game, and the Red Sox tacked on three more runs against the Yankee bullpen in the inning.

You can watch Narvaez’s heroics against his former team here.