'That's our spark plug': Seigler's 4-hit game launches Red Sox into 2nd WC spot

BOSTON – If ever there was a night the Red Sox needed “Sparky,” this was it.

Who is Sparky?

According to left-hander Patrick Sandoval, that moniker belongs to Anthony Seigler, who came up from Triple-A Worcester in June and has established himself as an energizing force during a memorable run by the Red Sox, which was extended to 20-3 since June 25 with Friday night’s 6-4 victory over the Blue Jays.

One game after a franchise-record-tying 15-game winning streak ended and on a night a 4-0 lead disappeared, Sparky went to work.

The first flame came in the bottom of the first inning, when Seigler ripped a leadoff homer after Sandoval’s 26-pitch first inning had a chance to put Boston on its heels just a bit after a day off on Thursday.

On the fourth pitch by Jays righty Trey Yesavage, Seigler ripped into a Statcast-projected 390-foot homer to right. It was Seigler’s first career leadoff homer. In fact, it was just his fourth career homer, and second at Fenway.

“Sparky. That’s our spark plug right there,” said Sandoval. “Especially after that long first inning I had, really trying to set the tone and leaving those guys out there that play the field for that long, for him to get us started like that is huge, it’s unbelievable.”

Seigler’s rise on the depth chart has been impressive, even if, at first, it was just by necessity. Middle infielders Trevor Story, Marcelo Mayer and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are all on the injured list at the same time, leaving an opening at second base.

The switch-hitting Seigler became interim manager Chad Tracy’s primary choice at that position starting on June 20. And with Roman Anthony out and Jarren Duran having a tough season offensively, Seigler has also become the leadoff hitter.

For the Red Sox, an MLB-best 24-6 record started the day before Seigler became a fixture in the lineup. Coincidence? Not entirely.

“He's been tremendous,” said Tracy. “He’s scuffled a little bit here recently, but comes right back and has a heck of a game. Takes a bunch of quality at-bats for us today. So, big spark.”

That spark not only included the homer, but also an insurance RBI double in the eighth inning. And it was all part of a career night for Seigler, in which he went 4-for-5 with the homer and fell a triple shy of the cycle.

In that final at-bat, Seigler’s double glanced off the Monster and caromed off left fielder Yohendrick Piñango. If it had kicked away just a little bit more, maybe Seigler would have had that elusive triple.

“Honestly, I didn't even think about that,” said Seigler. “I was just trying to get a good barrel on the ball, and then get in scoring position.”

And when he went deep to start the bottom of the first inning, he was merely trying to set the table for Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras. But 390 feet later, he had done more than that.

As Seigler generally does after a big moment, he let all his emotions overflow, smiling, pointing and clapping his hands as he rounded the bases.

“It's similar to Willson [Contreras],” said Tracy. “He plays with an edge. He wants to win. I think that's the best way to describe it. The emotion you see is when he feels like he does something to contribute to the team to win a game; he gets fired up. So he was good tonight.”

Seigler is soaking in all of it. He went from a first-round selection by the Yankees in the 2018 Draft to a player who spent years in the Minor Leagues before getting his first callup with the Brewers last season, playing in 34 games.

Just before Spring Training, he joined Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monasterio as players the Red Sox acquired from the Brewers in exchange for Kyle Harrison and David Hamilton. All three of Boston’s acquisitions were in Friday’s lineup, including Seigler, whose long-shot chance to make the team in Spring Training ended when left knee patellar tendinopathy landed him on the injured list in late March.

On April 9, Seigler was activated, but he was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. His first callup to Boston came on June 3, but he was back in Worcester by June 9. Seigler returned on June 20 to replace Kiner-Falefa on the roster, and he doesn’t appear to be going back to the Minors anytime soon.

It felt like he had been building to a night like the one he had on Friday.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Seigler. “I couldn’t have done it without all the great people around me. Coaching staff, teammates. I mean, it was a team effort, but it was a lot of fun.”

The Red Sox are leading the league in fun over the last month, going from non-contenders to Friday’s latest leap of moving into the second Wild Card spot.

Seigler has been in the middle of it all.