BOSTON — Adam Duvall couldn’t believe the similarities as he again stepped into the batter’s box, once again his team’s last hope at the end of a topsy-turvy day following a gift by the Orioles.
Fortunately for Duvall and the Red Sox, Saturday had a much better ending than Opening Day on Thursday.
As Duvall’s 106.7 mph rocket seared through the air and cleared the top of the Green Monster by inches, the new LED lights flickered at Fenway Park in celebration of a 9-8, walk-off win.
“Off the bat, more when it hit, I wasn’t sure if it was a homer or not,” Duvall said of his two-run laser. “And then I saw them stop going for it. I saw the lights start to flicker. So I mean, I was hoping that it was going to stand as a homer. But I felt like I was still kind of running it out because I really wasn’t sure.”
The mob scene of red jerseys at home plate awaiting Duvall — plus the confirmation on a replay review — made him sure. It was the second homer of the day for Boston’s new center fielder, part of a 4-for-5, five-RBI day in which he had the rarity of falling a single shy of the cycle.
On Opening Day, Yoshida hit what would have been a double-play ball to end the game, only for Orioles shortstop Jorge Mateo’s throw to first sail wildly.
That brought Duvall up to the plate, and he struck out on three pitches by Félix Bautista to end a 10-9 loss.
Duvall had emphatic redemption two days later, clubbing Bautista’s 1-0, 99.7 mph heater for paydirt.
“It was a very similar situation to how everything played out [on Thursday], it was kind of eerie,” said Duvall. “And with the error and then getting a chance to end the game there, it was very strange walking up to the plate like, ‘Man, this just happened literally two days ago.’ So just a little different outcome this time.”
Nobody was more thankful for that than Chris Sale. Heading into Saturday, the seven-time All-Star was the clear storyline — this being his first start at Fenway since Game 5 of the 2021 American League Championship Series.
Sale was rocked for seven hits (including three homers) and seven runs while lasting just three innings. It wasn’t the comeback he had in mind after making just two starts in 2022 due to three freak injuries.
But his teammates lifted his spirits.
“That’s big time,” said Sale. “I left them completely out to dry tonight. I was as embarrassed as I’ve ever been on a baseball field. Bullpen couldn’t have come in and done a better job. Hell, I was out there throwing batting practice. For them to get through the rest of that game with just one more run, it was amazing.”
The new-look lineup, which slimmed a 10-4 deficit on Thursday to just a run, again kept coming. Down 7-1 on Saturday, they scored four in the third, two in the seventh and then the two on Duvall’s parting shot in the ninth.
The main reason the Red Sox signed Duvall is for his right-handed power, which should play with Fenway’s dimensions. Just ask winning pitcher Kenley Jansen, who wiggled out of traffic in the top of the ninth to keep his team within striking distance in his Boston debut.
“I’m telling you, when he’s on, he’s on,” Jansen said. “You’re going to see this for a little bit. So you have to ride that moment. That Green Monster, he’s going to wear that out.”
The 20-degree launch angle on Duvall’s smash made it tough to clear the Monster, but it just made it over.
“He crushed that ball,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Without the wall that ball is at the hotel [behind the ballpark].”
Meanwhile, McKenna’s error helped pave the way for a most dramatic first win of the season for the Red Sox.
“I ran to it pretty hard, it was up in the sky, and I guess I just didn’t follow all the way through with it,” McKenna said. “Hit the butt of my glove and just fell out. It was unfortunate timing.”
The Red Sox turned it into sweet fortune.
