BOSTON -- Michael Chavis sent one soaring towards the Monster Seats and stood and watched for just a second, admiring the flight of his first career grand slam.
The rookie has had a way of timing his majestic shots at just the moment the Red Sox need one, and Monday night was one of those times.
The rocket to center, which landed in the back row of the Monster Seats in the bottom of the first inning, sent Boston on the way to a 10-8 victory over the Blue Jays.
After a tough 12-inning defeat to the Dodgers on Sunday that took five hours and 40 minutes, the defending World Series champs craved a win to kick off a four-game set against the Jays.
Helped by Chavis, that's what they got.
But the excitement that Chavis felt at the point of contact wasn't about the way he barreled up the slam.
Instead, it was all about the process. The first 3-2 pitch by Jays starter Trent Thornton was a high fastball, and that is the pitch that Chavis has succumbed to many times in his initiation to the Major Leagues. But with this one, he fouled it back rather than striking out, giving himself another chance to do damage on the next pitch.
"I know that's something that people have been attacking me with, and in that situation, it's probably the safest pitch to throw," said Chavis. "If it means fouling it off or trying to get to another one or just taking it for a ball, it's definitely something that I've been working on. Doing that to earn the next pitch, that's something I've kind of been writing in my book as well, it's like, 'Earn a pitch to hit', and I think that's what I did, so it's very satisfying, for sure."
Ah, yes, the book. Chavis has a hitting journal that he constantly updates, and he did so again in the dugout moments after his slam.
Was the general gist of it another reminder of how good things happen when you earn the next pitch?
"Yeah, that's what it was, but in the notebook, a little bit more detail. Yeah, that's pretty much it," Chavis said.
The right-handed-hitting slugger has 16 homers and has given the Sox a boost with his production since his callup on April 19. According to Statcast, the slam by Chavis had an exit velocity of 106.6 mph and a projected distance of 421 feet.
Ever since he was in high school, Chavis has been able to hit tape-measure homers. The night the Red Sox drafted him in the first round out of high school in 2014, the team's general manager at the time, Ben Cherington, said that Chavis had "parking lot power."
What Chavis is working on these days is being a better all-around hitter. Sometimes it's about the nuances, such as walking in his final two at-bats on Monday.
"Personally, weirdly, I was more excited about the two walks, just showing a little bit of discipline, staying within myself," said Chavis. "Trying not to do too much and not expanding. That's a bigger thing for me. I mean, I know I have power, I know I can hit, but growing and becoming a better hitter is what I'm trying to do, so that's a good sign."
Though the 23-year-old Chavis (.259/.330/.465) has certainly had his ups and downs in his first season, he's become a mainstay for a contending team and he leads American League rookies with 52 RBIs. Prior to Chavis, the first Red Sox player with at least 16 homers in a first MLB season was Ellis Burks, who bashed 20 in 1987. Chavis' grand slam marked the first by a Boston rookie since Mookie Betts in 2014.
Did Chavis expect he could make an impact like this so soon?
"Yeah, sorry," said Chavis. "I'm confident in what I'm capable of doing, not in an arrogant way. If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't be here. I think confidence in baseball is up there with the most important things. Coming into the season, I think it's better to set standards or expectations a little bit too high rather than set them too low, because then you're sitting there, like, complacent. My standards and expectations are pretty high. I wouldn't say I'm surprised, sorry."
After the game, Chavis collected the baseball from the fan who caught it from the Monster Seats. Credit NESN reporter Jahmai Webster for bartering an exchange in which Chavis took a picture with the spectator and the group he was with so he could get the baseball. But it's likely that baseball will be in a package bound for his mother's home in Georgia before long.
"Yeah, of course, that was awesome," Chavis said of Webster collecting the ball on his behalf before the game had even ended. "Mom's not here for that one, so I'll have to send it to her."
Dorothy Nugent, Chavis' mom, has been there for many of his biggest moments this season, including his first MLB homer and the two towering shots he hit in London against the Yankees. Where was she Monday?
"She has to work and everything," said Chavis.
Chavis knows the feeling. He is working at his own craft and won't be stopping any time soon. The biggest part of his job -- particularly at this stage -- are the constant adjustments.
"It's a work in progress," Chavis said. "It's not one of those things where overnight I'm going to be, like, perfect or anything like that. It's part of the game, but [I] would say I'm happy about how things are going, but it's not something I'm going to be settled with or anything like that. There's still work to be done."