Down to their final out, the Red Sox new utility infielder, Brandon Phillips, drove a long drive into the left field stands of SunTrust Park in Atlanta to lift Boston over the Braves 9-8 in the top of the ninth inning on Wednesday. Atlanta led the BoSox 7-1 heading into the top of the eighth inning, but a six-run rally made what looked like an easy win for first place in the NL East Atlanta turn into another episode of Beantown improbability. The feel-good story of the season only comes with the mysterious work of the baseball gods. Boston manager, Alex Cora, decided on the drive to the stadium Monday morning to bring the veteran infielder to the major leagues on an almost gut feeling. He said, “Honestly that was the most fun I’ve had all season, just watching the last few innings.” Phillips, who went one for three in that game with three runs scored and two runs batted in, spent four years in Cleveland, 11 years in Cincinnati, three quarters of last season with Atlanta, the end of last season in Anaheim, and the last quarter of this season in Pawtucket with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate Paw Sox. BP thought his career was over after the 2017 season, but Boston lent him a hand that’s now paying off. Phillips said, “... this journey back here, this part, it's up there, I don't want to say it's number one because I hope nobody goes what through I did during the offseason. But for me to get here, for me to do what I did today, it was quite amazing.”
Cora said, “When he hit it, the reaction of everybody was great. It didn't feel like a September game. Where we were in the game and all that happened, I'm like speechless.” With the fairytale year Boston has had (they could break their franchise single season record, they have two MVP candidates in J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts, Martinez could win the triple crown, and a Cy Young candidate in Chris Sale), this shows how they are already in the mindset for October baseball. With the mentality of their fellow New England sports team, the Patriots, Boston is following the “next man up” philosophy. They sat their stars, Betts, Martinez, and Xander Bogaerts to start the game, but the bench picked it up and beat a tough team on their own. Phillips made some heads-up plays on the basepaths, as well as a fourth inning highlight reel grab down the first base line. After the new infielder for Boston (and the first Boston player ever to wear the number zero) made his stunning return, people are speculating on if Manager Cora will replace Rafael Devers, Eduardo Nunez, Brock Holt, or another infielder with BP for the playoff roster. Jesse A. Cook “Saved By Zero: Phillips Homers To Win First Game Back” September 7, 2018
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
MLBThe Otherside page for all things MLB. Archives
January 2019
Categories
All
|