Red Sox ride off into the night on an Ice Horse walk-off hit
The Boston Red Sox felt the pain of an extra-inning loss already this week and they weren’t going to let it happen again.
The Red Sox rolled into Tuesday night ready to vanquish the Rockies and keep their winning ways alive. Things didn’t end how they would’ve liked as a storybook performance by Chris Sale ended with an “L” in extra innings. Sale was able to give Boston every chance to succeed and unfortunately, the bullpen couldn’t put the stamp on it. Last night the Red Sox would find themselves in a familiar situation.
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After a strong start from Eduardo Rodriguez seemed to all but deliver the victory he fell apart in the 7th inning and the Rockies were able to tie the game. The Red Sox were able to get the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th but an Eduardo Nunez grounder snuffed out the possible game-winning rally. And just like Tuesday night, the Fenway Faithful were treated to some free baseball.
With the game knotted up at 5 all, it was make or break time for Boston. Marcus Walden had come into the game after Matt Barnes gave up the runs set up by E-Rod and he absolutely shut down the Rockies offense. Walden was able to stop the bleeding and give Boston the best chance to knock in the winning run.
Finally, the bottom of the 10th came and business picked up right away. Xander Bogaerts led off with a double and was followed by an intentional walk to the unstoppable Rafael Devers. Then came the big moment with the game on the line and the “Ice Horse” Michael Chavis heading to the plate. Chavis admitted he was expecting to get the bunt signal from the third base coach and got excited when the sign never came.
Rockies reliever Chad Bettis delivered his first pitch and the Ice Horse sent it right back up the middle bringing Bogey home and putting another tally in the win column. This would be Chavis’ first career walk-off in the majors and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Red Sox need each and every boost they can get to keep pace with the Rays and Yankees and Chavis is exactly that.
The night before Chavis smashed a homer so high and far that it was damn near impossible to even determine if it was truly fair or foul. It was ruled fair and the legend of the Ice Horse grew by another chapter. The pure joy on Chavis’ face last night as he rounded first base was like watching a kid knock in the winning run in the Little League World Series.
He plays with such excitement and love for the game it’s infectious. Chavis spoke to the media after the game and was all smiles when talking about his game-winning single.
"“I just forgot what to do,” Chavis said. “I had my helmet… I was like, ‘Do I throw it? Do I keep it, Do I hand it to somebody?’ I turned, got tackled by Mookie (Betts). Gave him a hug. That was great, honestly. I’m a big hugger.”"
Chavis is known to be a do-or-die hitter when at the plate. When you watch him swinging it always looks as if he’s trying to set a Guinness Record for home run distance. So it’s great to see that he went into the at-bat with the mindset of just getting the run across the plate. And he did exactly that.
"“A single scores him,” Chavis thought as he approached the plate. “Don’t try to be a superhero who hits a home run or anything like that. You just need one.”"
The big question as of late is where will Chavis go when Dustin Pedroia and Brock Holt return. The short answer is absolutely nowhere. He is producing at such a rate that the Red Sox can’t afford to demote him back to the minors. Not to mention how well he’s taking to second base since he is learning on the job. It looks as if the Ice Horse is here to stay and for a long while.
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The Red Sox are hitting their stride and it seems as if every component of the game is moving in the right direction. Michael Chavs has been on a hell of a ride since getting the call t the majors in April. If he can keep going at this pace he will be a major piece to the puzzle for Boston to repeat as World Champions. Now that he has his first major league walk off under his belt, the sky is the limit.