Marcelo Mayer Adds New Milestone To MLB Resume

Boston Red Sox rookie Marcelo Mayer made his first career start at second base during Tuesday’s 3-2 extra-innings loss to the Los Angeles Angels. While his glove and defensive versatility were the main story before the first pitch, it was his bat that would make the biggest impact for the Red Sox.

Batting eighth in the lineup with Angels’ left-hander Tyler Anderson on the mound, Mayer stepped to the plate in the top of the third inning and connected on the first triple of his big league career on a 90.2 mph sinker that he drove down the first base line. He scored the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly by Nate Eaton to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.

Mayer would add a single in the fifth inning, followed by a strikeout in the seventh. Leading off the top of the 10th inning with Ceddanne Rafaela on second base in a tie game, Mayer drove a 95.3 mph sinker from Reid Detmers to center field for an RBI single to put the Red Sox ahead 2-1.

With three hits on the night, Mayer set a new career-high for hits in a game. After going 0-4 with two strikeouts the night before, the talented 22-year-old was nearly the star of the game before Christian Moore walked it off for the Angels with a two-run blast in the bottom of the tenth.

Following his 3-for-4 night, Mayer increased his batting average from .186 to .261 and now has eight extra-base hits in 74 at-bats since being promoted on May 24.