NEW YORK — Roman Anthony says his teammates made his transition to MLB play easier. Everyone helped him in some way through his rapid ascent to the top of the Red Sox order. Yet Alex Bregman, who assumed a leadership role quickly in his first season with Boston, didn’t find much to advise the 21-year-old on.
“He’s probably the most mature 21-year-old, baseball-wise, I’ve ever been around in my life,” Bregman told CLNS Media after Thursday’s Red Sox win in New York. “I’m trying to find out what he does wrong, honestly, we all are. We don’t know if he has any vice or anything. He just does everything the right way, and the moment’s never too big for him. He knows who he is, he knows what he does well, and he sticks to that and he executes.”
Anthony delivered again with a two-run, solidifying home run in the ninth inning to begin a crucial series against the Yankees with a 6-3 win after New York and Boston traded miscues throughout the game. The Red Sox started 2-18 before the blast that fell just short of the second deck in right after the Yankees’ fourth error of the night. It bookend Anthony’s first career trip to the Bronx, where he finished 2-5 with a walk and three RBI.
The Red Sox fell to 13th (.250) hitting with runners in scoring position after Tuesday’s agonizing loss to Baltimore, their third straight, where they left the bases loaded in three straight innings before failing to push the game-tying run home in the 11th. On Thursday in New York, they stranded a runner in scoring position to end every inning between the third and the eighth, including David Hamilton getting picked off in a bizarre second inning where New York botched three plays, allowing Ceddanne Rafaela to score on Hamilton’s steal attempt.
Boston returned the favor in the fourth, where Hamilton dropped Carlos Narváez’ throw and allowed Jazz Chisholm Jr. to take third base on his steal attempt. Paul Goldschmidt drove Chisholm in by lining a hit past Boston’s moved-in infield. New York led, 2-1, after Ben Rice tied the game with a second inning blast off Lucas Giolito. Anthony started the fourth with a walk to load the bases alongside Bregman and Jarren Duran, setting Nathaniel Lowe up to do what the Sox couldn’t on Tuesday — set up a sacrifice fly to tie the game.
“We got the line moving, which is good. Now, we gotta score,” Alex Cora said. “Offensively, we did a good job controlling the strike zone. We haven’t done that in a while and obviously, the big swing at the end. We just kept grinding with them. It felt like back in the day. The games are gonna take forever … recovery is a must this weekend, because it feels like every game’s going to be a grind. We needed every run, and obviously, they got six at-bats, (Anthony and Bregman) … we kept putting pressure on them … (Lowe had) a really good at-bat. We’re getting to know him, he’ll work with the group, keep making adjustments and I think where he’s at in the lineup, he’s going to help.”
Anthony tied the game again with a single in the sixth after Justin Wilson allowed Aaron Judge, walked by Giolito before he exited, to score. He jumped on a second pitch slider over the plate, but with the bases loaded in the seventh and a chance to extend a 4-3 lead Lowe built with an RBI double, Carlos Narváez and Anthony struck out in back-to-back at bats. Tim Hill, who entered to face Anthony, caught him with a low, inside sinker in a seven-pitch battle. In the seventh, Rice tripled to lead off against Steven Matz with one out. Somehow, the Yankees couldn’t push him across. Romy González, with runners on second and third, lined out in his pinch hit chance to extend the lead.
Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman maintained the lead with the latter’s help from Anthony. Hamilton reached on an error in the ninth and moved up on a groundout, one of 21 batters to reach for Boston. That only six runners crossed home plate, three aided by Yankees miscues, stands as one of many causes for concern late in the season. And yet, the Red Sox’ 21-year-old rookie remained one of their certainties on Thursday. He even tossed his bat after a blast, a rare flash of emotion from the Sox’ new steady presence atop the order.
“I’m enjoying the moment, enjoying a win,” Anthony said. “It’s exciting to be here. I got to play them at home my first week, and now that I’m settled in and through that first week, this time around felt a little more calm, a little bit more controlled and just felt better. It was exciting … quite the atmosphere, especially for us.”
“(The bat flip) just happened,” he said. “I don’t usually do that … not really ever, but it happened.”
- The Red Sox will reportedly assess moving RHP Walker Buehler, who’s struggled through 22 starts (5.40 ERA) at the back end of the rotation. He isn’t guaranteed to start on Monday against Baltimore. Buehler could pick up a relief appearance as soon as this weekend against the Yankees. Boston could start RHP Richard Fitts, recently called up for a relief role, or AAA LHP Kyle Harrison, acquired in the Rafael Devers trade, on Monday.
- OF Wilyer Abreu (calf) was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Monday. He left Sunday’s game with a calf strain against Miami. The Red Sox recalled OF Jhostynxon Garcia, the team’s No. 3 rated prospect nicknamed The Password. Garcia, 22, signed with the Sox from Venezuela as a free agent in 2019. He hit .303 with 17 home runs and 56 RBI in AAA-Worcester after beginning the season in AA-Portland, where he finished .289.
- Boston designated 1B Abraham Toro for assignment after an extended slump, leaving Romy González and Nathaniel Lowe as the team’s primary first basemen going forward. The Sox recalled IF David Hamilton, who started at second base over González at second with Lowe at first on Thursday. Toro hit 239 with seven home runs and 27 RBI in 77 games. He hit .171 since the all-star break.
