With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning the Boston Red Sox were down 8-7 to the visiting Baltimore Orioles. Felix Bautista took the mound for the O’s, and Masataka Yoshida stepped into the batter’s box for the home squad. Yoshida, who finished 0-for-5 at the plate with one strikeout, made contact with the ball and sent a seemingly harmless pop fly to shallow left.
Baltimore left fielder Ryan McKenna settled underneath the ball, waiting to easily secure the victory for his squad and improve to 2-0 on the season. Ah, if it were only that simple. McKenna takes his eye off the ball for a moment, letting it glance off the heel of his glove and tumbling to the turf.
Red Sox fans say thank you, Ryan McKenna. pic.twitter.com/224YpxNZfJ
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) April 1, 2023
That brought up Adam Duvall, the hottest hitter of the night for the Sox with a 3-for-4 mark at the plate. After taking a ball inside, Duvall got the pitch he wanted and clobbered the walk-off two-run home run over the Green Monster.
Adam Duvall is 𝗛𝗜𝗠. pic.twitter.com/GW4qZnZuSY
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 1, 2023
An absolutely brutal mistake by an outfielder who can probably make that play in his sleep, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. It’s definitely an emphatic way for the Red Sox to secure their first win of 2023.
