Unsung Hero Pablo Reyes Hits Walk-Off Grand Slam for Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox snapped their four-game losing streak with a dramatic victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night, riding the heroics of infielder Pablo Reyes to get back in the win column.
Reyes crushed a walk-off grand slam off of reliever Carlos Hernandez, sending an inside fastball off the left field foul pole to end the game at 6-2.
The Red Sox had previously led 2-0, but the Royals finally got to 24-year-old starter Brayan Bello in the seventh to knot up the score. Boston went down 1-2-3 in the seventh and eighth innings, but managed to load the bases in the ninth thanks to a ground-rule double by third baseman Rafael Devers and walks by first baseman Triston Casas and second baseman Luis Urias.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro was ejected after arguing a check-swing call on Urias, which led to a called ball four and a chance for Reyes to win it all.
The shortstop's home run had an exit velocity of 104.6 miles per hour – the fifth-fastest in the majors on Monday – and it was projected to go 373 feet. Reyes finished the game 3-for-4, accounting for half of Boston's hits on the night.
One day earlier, Reyes went 0-for-2 against the Toronto Blue Jays, but he did come away with two walks at the plate and a scoreless inning on the mound.
Reyes' back-to-back notable performances couldn't have come at a better time for the 29-year-old infielder, with All-Star shortstop Trevor Story set to get activated from the 60-day injured list on Tuesday.
Story's reintroduction to the lineup will inevitably bump a current major league position player down to the minors, or possibly off the 40-man roster entirely. Yu Chang now becomes the most likely candidate to hit the chopping block.
Reyes is now batting .312 with a .773 OPS on the season, with Monday night's grand slam standing alone as his only home run of 2023. Across 147 career appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers entering this season, Reyes was a .238 hitter with six home runs, five stolen bases, 29 RBI and a .667 OPS.
The Red Sox will try to stick around in the AL Wild Card race another day when they host the Royals in game two of the four-game set on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Boston is currently 5.0 games back of the third and final AL Wild Card spot at 58-54. Prior to Monday, the Red Sox had lost seven of eight, including three against the Blue Jays.
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