Red Sox hitters know Fenway Park better than anyone. Sure, there’s knowing how to play balls off the Green Monster and just how deep right-center field can get, but as Jackie Bradley Jr. proved in ALCS Game 2 against the Astros on Sunday, there’s so much more.
Boston fans were seeking a spark in the bottom of the third inning. The 2-0 Red Sox lead had vanished and the Astros were ahead, 4-2, but the home team had the bases loaded with two outs for Bradley. He put a good swing on a fastball from Gerrit Cole and sent it down the left-field line, where it bounced off the Green Monster and back into foul territory.
The unusual features of Fenway Park took over from there:
The ghosts of @FenwayPark are putting in work. pic.twitter.com/3Q1izFm5Xq
– MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) October 15, 2018
Through some strange force of nature (or perhaps those aforementioned ghosts), the ball skidded along the side padding of the left-field wall, preventing Marwin Gonzalez from quickly making a play and allowing all three runs to score. Just like that, the Red Sox were once again leading, 5-4. They never relinquished the advantage and ended up beating the Astros, 7-5.
“I’ve never seen it ride the top of that little edge like that before,” said Bradley after the game. “But it’s pretty cool.”
As odd as the bounces were, the Red Sox were clearly thrilled:
That’s truly taking home-field advantage to the next level. Here he is after the game talking about the weirdness.
We suggest that Bradley take up pinball if he hasn’t already done so. As “Looney Tunes” once demonstrated, he could really reap some valuable rewards.
Andrew Mearns is a writer for Cut4 whose baseball obsession was born from the shattered dreams of Mike Mussina’s perfect game attempt in 2001. He has a startling memory of World Series highlights that barely functions as a party trick.
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