BOSTON -- Red Sox rookie Michael Chavis was helped by one bounce Wednesday, but his luck ran out on the second.
In the second inning at Fenway Park, what looked like a double-play ball for A's second baseman Chad Pinder turned into a single up the middle for Chavis after the ball bounced off the second-base bag and over Pinder's right shoulder. That hit moved Rafael Devers to third, setting up Mitch Moreland's sacrifice fly one batter later.
“You try not to look at it that way, things not bouncing your way," A's manager Bob Melvin said, "but we haven’t really been unlucky to this point. We just haven’t played well and have to do something about it.”
The Red Sox were set up for a big inning after loading the bases on a Christian Vázquez walk and a Jackie Bradley single, moving Chavis over to third, but the A's were fortunate to get out of the frame with just one run allowed.
On a Mike Fiers pitch that was fired past Josh Phegley's glove and toward the backstop, Chavis ran for home, but the ball luckily bounced back to Phegley, who caught it on a rebound and tagged out Chavis at the plate.
“It was lucky for me, I guess," Phegley said. "We’ll take it.”
The crazy sequence drew a "What on Earth!" exclamation from Red Sox analyst Dennis Eckersley on TV.