WEST SACRAMENTO -- For Ceddanne Rafaela’s first career grand slam, there was no bat flip. In fact, there was a bit of a bat slam to the ground.
But playing in the friendly hitting confines of Sutter Health Park, even what feels like a pop fly can be a game-breaking moment. Athletics left fielder Colby Thomas took a step in when the ball first took flight, then he raced back in an effort to try to keep it from leaving the yard.
Instead, his glove tipped it right over the fence, giving Rafaela and the Red Sox reason to celebrate. Rafaela’s game-changing slam with two outs in the top of the sixth accounted for all of Boston’s runs in a 4-2 victory over the A’s.
“I thought it was a flyout,” acknowledged Rafaela. “I thought I didn't hit it [well]. I hit [it at an exit velocity of] 98 [mph], but I didn’t think I hit it that hard.”
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy, who played many games at this ballpark as a Minor Leaguer, was more optimistic.
“I've played here before, so when he hit it -- I don't think Rafa thought he got it. But when the ball got hit, it was on the barrel and hit pretty good, and I'm just standing there watching [thinking] carry, carry, carry,” said Tracy. “I know the ball can carry here, and it did. Just a big swing and a big moment.”
Add it to the list for these rolling Red Sox during a run which reached 23-4 (and 10-0 on the road) since June 25 with Monday night’s triumph. Making it more unfathomable is that the stretch has come directly on the heels of a 32-46 start.
If the Sox started the game looking a little weary in the early stages of their first game of their third trip to the West Coast since June 19, Rafaela’s slam perked everyone up like a cup of coffee.
“I think everybody said in unison, 'Go, go, go, go! Keep going, keep going.' So, all that matters is that it got out,” said lefty Payton Tolle, who earned the win. “It all counts the same. That was big. It was obviously the difference-maker.”
It was the latest in a long line of clutch hits Rafaela has delivered these Red Sox over the last three seasons.
“Every time it’s a big spot and that guy Rafa comes up, it's like you perk up a little bit and keep watching,” said Tolle. “We have a lot of guys that, whenever moments happen, you start watching a little bit more.”
There’s no doubt Rafalea loves those moments. Coming into the night, he was a career .355 hitter with the bases juiced, including an .827 OPS. The only thing missing was a grand slam, which has now been added to his growing résumé.
“I want to be in those positions to help my team out. I always want to be in those kind of situations,” said Rafaela. “It’s not a normal at-bat. It’s an at-bat that I have to come through for my team, and I like to have that on my shoulders to help the team.”
Rafaela’s grand slam came on a night he was moved from second to fifth in the batting order, as Tracy decided to mix things up after the acquisition of Curtis Mead, who left his Boston debut in the fifth inning with a left wrist contusion.
With Mead, Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras hitting in front of him, Rafaela should have more chances in the clutch moments he relishes so much.
“I’m good with it,” Rafaela said. “Probably, I’m going to drive in more runs, so I’m cool with it.”
He should also be able to build on his 13 stolen bases, which is another reason Tracy cited for the switch.
“Yeah, I think hitting second, I wanted Wily [Abreu] to hit and then not be stupid out on the bases. So, probably now I'm free to go,” Rafaela said.
The Red Sox didn’t have so much as a hit in the first five innings. But Connor Wong’s double to open the sixth against Athletics righty Jack Perkins created some momentum. Contreras and Abreu drew two-out walks.
Up stepped Rafaela against lefty reliever José Suarez, and he lofted a 2-0 slider for the most impactful moment of the night, in which the Red Sox instantly turned a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead.
Per Statcast, Rafaela’s 11th homer of the season had a launch angle of 40 degrees, an expected batting average of .100 and a hang time of 5.9 seconds.
“I think as an outfielder, when I see [Thomas] going to the side and then looking back, I know he's trying to calculate it, and that he's not under it,” said Rafaela. “And at that point, I was like, ‘Go ball, please.'"