The Boston Red Sox have gotten off to a most disappointing start. After winning their opener in Cincinnati behind the pitching of star left-handed hurler Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox had lost five straight games and fallen in the basement of the American League East cellar.
It is not the end of the world to get off to a poor start when a team plays 162 games, but it is certainly not the best way to begin a successful season. The Red Sox returned home for their Fenway opener Friday afternoon against the San Diego Padres, and the Red Sox got a brief respite in their 5-2 victory.
The home team earned the victory behind the pitching of starter Sonny Gray along with the bullpen. The offense was largely supplied by the home run power of Willson Contreras and Marcelo Mayer. Contreras hit a 423-foot solo home run over the Green Monster in left field, while Mayer hit a two-run homer into the Padres bullpen in right field.
Mayer's home run came off left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta. Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. attempted to run down the drive and launched himself over the right-field fence in front of the bullpen, but the ball was just out of his reach. Mayer breathed a sigh of relief when he was able to circle the bases as the Red Sox took a 3-run lead.
Mayer is a San Diego native, and he grew up rooting for and idolizing Tatis. “He was one of my favorite players growing up,” Mayer said. “If he would have caught that, I probably would have changed my mind.”
