It had been an uphill climb all day for the Red Sox, but they’ve established a trend during this thrilling start to the season of thriving in those situations.
Nobody enjoys the fight more than Alex Verdugo.
So even on a day the nine-game winning streak eventually snapped in a 4-3 walk-off loss to the Twins, Verdugo dug down for what will likely go down as one of the most memorable at-bats of the season for Boston.
The bats had been just about silent for seven innings when a hit-by-pitch and two walks brought Verdugo to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs, his team down by three runs.
Facing tough Twins lefty reliever Taylor Rogers, Verdugo fought, fought, fought and fought some more after falling behind 0-2. At one point, he had just about struck out, but his meek foul tip couldn’t be corralled by Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. There was also the 2-2 sinker that Verdugo somehow laid off of, and it was a ball, low, by inches.
On the 10th pitch of the at-bat, Verdugo at least seized control of the fight and went to the opposite field in left for a game-tying, three-run double that knotted the score at 3-3.
There was joy on Verdugo’s face, and in the Boston dugout, as it once again looked like the Red Sox were going to do something special.
Even though the momentum didn’t carry over from there, it was the type of moment you see from a player and a team that have resilience ingrained in them.
You couldn’t be any more laser-focused than Verdugo got as that at-bat built to the 10th pitch.
“For me, I’ve got to be honest, I was completely locked in,” Verdugo said. “I got a little lower in my stance, trying to see the barrel out front, trying to keep a short swing, be direct to it. Lefty-lefty is already a tough at-bat. ... I was zoned in, locked in and I wasn’t going to let anything go. Anything close, let it go and let’s see what good things happen.”
For Verdugo, it was the longest at-bat of his career against a lefty.
“Obviously going in, you know the situation, bases loaded, we’re down by three and I’ve seen in the bullpen they had a lefty warming up,” said Verdugo. “I got up there and I don't think it's really how we drew it up, getting down 0-2 like that, but he made a good pitch, fastball away, I just wanted to see one and then I probably should have went on that slider that was middle in [for ball three]. It was go zone.
“But I just took it. I think it also benefited me in the long run because now I've seen his fastball and his slider, and at that point I figured, you know, it can't beat me. He made a couple of good pitches. I fouled off a couple sliders and then got a fastball out and over and was able to, you know, stay on top of it and drive it to left.”
Given the way things have been going for the Red Sox since they were swept by the Orioles to open the season, the only surprise is that Verdugo’s hit didn’t lead to a win.
In the top of the ninth, they had the go-ahead run on second with one out, and couldn’t push it across.
Adam Ottavino didn’t get the job done in the bottom of that frame, getting into an early jam. The streak finally ended on a bloop, RBI single by Max Kepler.
The loss didn’t seem to be one that would spoil the flight back to Boston. Just 13 games into the season, it feels like something special is developing with the Red Sox, who come home for a 10-game homestand, starting with the White Sox on Friday night.
“It’s been great, it’s been fun,” said Red Sox starter Garrett Richards, who allowed two unearned runs over five innings. “I told you guys earlier in the year that this was a sneaky good team, and we’re going to do our thing on a daily basis, and at the end of the year, we’ll be where we are.
“Everybody shows up every single day ready to win -- not just here to play a baseball game. We’re here to win a game every single day. It’s a different vibe, it’s a different feel when you come to the field and everybody has the same collective thought. I’ve only been on a couple teams like that and it’s something that you recognize early on and it’s really exciting.”