Times are tumultuous for the Red Sox.
But there was reason to celebrate on Monday in Boston. Top prospect Roman Anthony hit his first career home run. It helped spark a 2-0 victory for the Red Sox over the Seattle Mariners.
The win came in Boston’s first game after the stunning trade of All-Star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito threw six shutout innings and was credited with the win.
Red Sox brass addresses Devers trade before Monday’s game
Boston dealt Devers to the Giants on Sunday, sending the ninth-year Red Sox veteran across the country in a trade that sent shockwaves across MLB. Devers was the last remaining member of Boston’s 2018 World Series championship team and appears to be on pace for his fifth straight All-Star appearance amid another standout season at the plate.
If he does make the All-Star Game, he’ll do so as a Giant. The trade prompted hard questions for Red Sox executives Craig Breslow and Sam Kennedy about the state of the organization prior to Monday’s game.
Once their media availability was over, it was time to get down to baseball. And for a night at least, baseball for Boston was a success, thanks in part to the No. 1 prospect.
Anthony came to the plate with the bases empty in the top of the first inning. On a 2-2 count, Mariners starter Logan Gilbert threw a 96 mph fastball to the upper outside corner of the strike zone. Anthony reached across the plate and pulled a deep fly ball that carried over the right-center-field wall.
The home run was the first of Anthony’s MLB career in his seventh game since Boston called him up for his big-league debut on June 9. It gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead that they never relinquished.
The Red Sox had won five straight games since Anthony’s call-up, including a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees, before trading Devers. Monday marked their sixth straight victory, and they improved to 38-36.
Questions will continue to swirl around why Boston chose to deal Devers as its season was starting to point up. But Red Sox fans can at least look forward to watching Anthony for the foreseeable future.
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