BOSTON -- Mickey Gasper arrived at Fenway Park on Monday with two homers in 92 career games. But his story is deeper than that.
For eight years, Gasper has produced in the Minor Leagues (.869 OPS, 67 homers in 508 games and 2,050 at-bats) but it has never been enough to earn him more than temporary stays in “The Show.”
But for these last three days, the 30-year-old Gasper has put on a show. For the third day in a row, Gasper went deep. This one was his biggest yet – a game-trying, three-run homer into the bleachers beyond the visiting bullpen in right with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Gasper’s equalizer wasn’t enough. Boston didn’t score after that. Instead, Arizona salvaged the finale of this three-game series with a 7-6 win in 10 innings.
The go-ahead run scored on a 51.1 mph bloop single off the bat of veteran Nolan Arenado.
Gasper’s latest callup came on Sunday, the day after Masataka Yoshida suffered a left hamstring strain. The switch-hitter, who has a 1.017 OPS in 54 games this season for Triple-A Worcester, looks determined to make the most of his latest opportunity.
With his team down, 5-2, Gasper worked the count to 3-1 against Brandon Phaadt, who had mainly flummoxed Boston through the first five innings.
Gasper got a changeup in the middle of the plate but just below the strike zone and he mauled it at an exit velocity of 102.2 mph and a Statcast-projected 407 feet.