BOSTON -- Some fans were still settling into their seats when Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. created a burst of excitement with a cannon throw to the plate to nail Joe Mauer for the second out in the first inning of an eventual 2-1 loss to the Twins on Thursday night at Fenway Park.
When Eduardo Escobar belted a ground single past the dive of second baseman Brock Holt, Mauer roared around third and figured he could score.
In fact, Mauer was already rounding third by the time Bradley fielded the hit. However, Bradley unleashed a tremendous throw home that catcher Blake Swihart snared out of the air before tagging Mauer just as he slid in.
It was the first of two assists on the night for Bradley, who has six for the season.
The second assist was in the sixth, when James Dozier dropped a flyball into center and Bradley threw to third to try to get Eddie Rosario, who was safe. When third baseman Rafael Devers fired to second too late in his attempt to get Dozier, Rosario tried to score. But Holt threw him out.