|
HOT AND COLD AND
HOT AND OUT ...
Travis Shaw belts a walk-off grandslam
in his first game back with the Red Sox
August 23, 2021
...
Travis Shaw emphatically welcomed himself back to the Boston
Red Sox with a walk-off grandslam, to seal an 8-4 victory in 11
innings, over the Texas Rangers.
It became possible when Garrett Whitlock did a brilliant job in
relief, pitching 2 2/3 innings, giving up just one hit, one unearned
run, no walks and four strikeouts. Unfortunately it happened after
Matt Barnes had just blown his sixth save of the season.
And it also became possible when Rafael Devers swatted a game-tying
414 foot double with the Sox one strike away from defeat in the
bottom of the 10th inning, and Xander Bogaerts scored, coming all the
way around from first.
After a clean top of the 11th by Whitlock, Christian Vazquez bunted
Hunter Renfroe, who was the automatic runner on second base, over to
third. The Rangers pitcher, Dennis Santana, made an error on the play
allowing Vazquez to reach first safely and then intentionally walked
Alex Verdugo, to load the bases and set up a force with nobody out.
Travis Shaw worked the count full and took a 97 mph sinker over the
Red Sox bullpen into the bleachers, 423 feet away.
Nathan Eovaldi started the game for the Sox and departed after seven
masterful innings, issuing four hits, no walks, seven strikeouts and
one unearned run. He had a 3-1 lead at the time. However, Barnes
couldn't hold it in the ninth giving the Rangers the two tying runs
that sent the game into overtime.
|
