When the Boston Red Sox dropped their season-opening lineup hours before their first tilt with the Cincinnati Reds, many fans were disappointed to see that Isiah Kiner-Falefa got the nod as the Opening Day second baseman. Former top prospect Marcelo Mayer started the season on the bench.
By the seventh inning, he'd made Alex Cora regret his decision. Mayer entered the game when Reds reliever Pierce Johnson, a righty, took the mound in a scoreless tie. He wasted no time and drilled the second pitch he saw to center field for a stand-up double, Boston's first extra-base hit of the day.
Carlos Narváez laid down a bunt to advance Mayer to third base. Then, Ceddanne Rafaela cracked a bouncing single up the middle to score Mayer for the first run of the game. Mayer collected his second hit — a hard single past third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes — and scored Boston's first insurance run in the ninth inning. It walked away with a 3-0 Opening Day victory.
Before Mayer's first knock, Boston had been out-hitting Cincinnati seven to three. Roman Anthony reached base in his first three at-bats and the Sox had a man in scoring position in three of the first six innings, but no one was able to make anything of their chances. Reds starter Andrew Abbott always showed up at just the right moment with a timely groundout or strikeout.
Marcelo Mayer scores Red Sox's first run of the year after missing out on Opening Day start in favor of Isiah Kiner-Falefa
There we go, Ceddanne ‼️ pic.twitter.com/8yWWsO5uxV
— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 26, 2026
Only when Abbott left the game were the Red Sox able to pull through, and Mayer showed he shouldn't be underestimated despite missing out on the Opening Day start. Cora told the young infielder he needed to see improved offense to justify putting him on the major league roster to start the season, and it was just the motivation Mayer needed.
His spring training could've been better — Mayer posted a .231/.362/.333 slash line over 14 appearances — but spring training stats, famously, don't matter. Opening Day ones do.
Garrett Crochet is the only reason the Red Sox were in the game after their many missed scoring chances. The ace didn't look as dominant as he did for much of last season, with two walks in his opening performance. But he limited the Reds to three hits and fanned eight batters over the first six innings, which gave Mayer a golden chance to pull through for his squad.
Mayer has been injury-prone during his time in the minor leagues and it carried over to his 44-game rookie season. He's looking to change the narrative in 2026 and join Anthony as a young superstar on the Red Sox, and he's already off to a great start.