Red Sox Rookie Roman Anthony Reacts To First Fenway Park Home Run

Welcome to the party, pal. Boston Red Sox rookie slugger Roman Anthony hit his first career home run at Fenway Park during Monday’s 9-3 win over the Colorado Rockies.

The two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning drove in second baseman Romy Gonzalez to give the Red Sox a 5-1 lead at the time.

Anthony drilled the ball to center field. It left his bat at 106.4 mph and traveled an estimated 418 feet. After the game, Anthony basked in the moment.

“Yeah, it felt great,” Anthony said, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “To get that first one out of the way [at home] was great.”

Playing designated hitter on Monday, Anthony also added a pair of singles and finished the night 3-for-5, raising his batting average to .250. He’s been red-hot at the plate the last two weeks, hitting .346 with an OPS of .904 over the last 15 games, shaking off his early struggles in the batter’s box.

“I think I’ve just settled in and gotten used to it, day by day,” Anthony said, per Browne. “I think the game planning has gotten a lot better, but I think the biggest thing is just settling in and being able to get in there and get consistent at-bats and having confidence within myself and trying to help this team win.”

Anthony’s success has led manager Alex Cora to keep the 21-year-old in the Red Sox lineup when facing left-handed starting pitching. “I think, right now, playing Roman every day for us is the right move,” Cora said, according to Browne. “He started out hitting fifth, and now, he’s hitting second against righties and third against lefties. Like I said on the road, he will play every day.”

Boston faces another southpaw on Tuesday when the Rockies send Kyle Freeland to the mound. He’s 1-9 with a 5.49 ERA in 16 starts this season.