One of those rare games where everything you want to happen actually does happen.
Top Play (WPA)
There’s a lot said for setting the tone early, and Mookie Betts did just that – on the very first pitch, no less. That leadoff dinger was worth .096 WPA, and when the first play of the game for your team is tops in the game in WPA, you’re gonna have a bad time. The Red Sox would end up scoring three or more runs in three separate innings, and when this offense gets that hot, there’s not a whole lot other teams can do to stop them.
Bottom Play (WPA)
This one came in the same half-inning as the top play. Wednesday night’s hero Hanley Ramirez grounded into a double play that chalked up a -.035 WPA. You’d think this would be a category dominated by the Twins, but that’s not so! The weird thing is the second-worst play of the game was Eduardo Nunez flying out to left for the first out of the game. -.023 WPA on that one. Guess you really have to score that early to win.
Key Moment
It wasn’t really during the game, but David Ortiz kinda sorta left his mark on Fenway.
You don’t see that very often. Oh, and here’s the radio call of his home run. Tim Neverett does a fantastic job.
Trend to Watch
This was a great start to a pretty soft 10-game stretch in which the Red Sox have a real chance to put some space between them and the rest of the AL East. They face the Twins three more times, then they have a three-game set with the Tigers – who are struggling to keep up with the AL Central-leading Indians – and lastly, a four-game series in Anaheim against the Angels. There’s a real good chance the Red Sox could see their AL East lead increase from half a game to several games over the next week or so.
Coming Next
Eduardo Rodriguez will take the mound to oppose Kyle Gibson and the Twins – this time with 100% less pitch tipping! (This is not a guarantee. Be optimistic at your own risk.)