BOSTON -- For Trevor Story, it was the sweetest groundout of his life.
WIth a 51.5 mph exit velocity per Statcast, Story¡¯s squibber was muffed by Blue Jays second baseman Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez, who threw to first for an out that no longer mattered.
Pinch-runner David Hamilton had already crossed home plate for a 4-3, 10-inning win by the Red Sox on Thursday at Fenway Park.
Story¡¯s teammates mobbed him as if he just put the ball into the Green Monster seats.
After losing the first three games of this four-game series to Toronto, this was an important early-season moment for Story, and for the Red Sox. Boston gave itself a happy flight for a six-game road trip that starts Friday in Chicago against the White Sox.
¡°For sure,¡± Story said. ¡°Just given the situation, funky pitcher up on the mound, I was just trying to find a way to get it done. I felt like I didn't the last couple nights with runners on. Just a grinder of an at-bat. Just trying to find a way to put it in play. So, yeah, one of the best for sure.¡±
In Wednesday¡¯s 11-inning loss, Story had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the 10th inning, needing just a sacrifice fly or maybe a weak grounder like the one that came a day later. Instead, he struck out, as frustration piled up for Boston amid a series in which the team was stifled offensively, scoring eight runs in four games.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora¡¯s most frequent expression in terms of offense is, ¡°Just put the ball in play.¡±
When you do, good things can happen.
¡°Put the ball in play,¡± said Cora. ¡°Me and [bench coach] Ramon [Vazquez] were talking about it, ¡®Hit it off the end, they might miss it or whatever¡¯. If you put it in play, something can happen. It's not a strikeout. So, he did a good job fouling off pitches, and we ended up winning the game.¡±
Story takes his position seriously as a veteran leader on the Red Sox, even though health compromised his contributions in his first three years with the club. He is enjoying being a full-go these days, which is why not putting the bat on the ball when he needed to on Wednesday frustrated him so much.
¡°It bothered me a lot,¡± Story said. ¡°I felt like tonight, I was much more [focused], I had a plan of attack and I executed that much better than last night. I can live with that [grounder].¡±
It was the fifth walk-off RBI of Story¡¯s career, but first since May 23, 2021, when he was with the Rockies.
Other than staying healthy, Story¡¯s biggest goal coming into this season was to strike out less.
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s huge. Going back to last year, it's been a big emphasis for me,¡± Story said. ¡°And I¡¯ve felt better about it this year. Still a little bit of swing-and-miss, but that's always kind of been a part of my game. It¡¯s up to us to know our strengths and our weaknesses, and just whiffing a little too much right now as a team. I feel like we'll get back to where we want to be.¡±
Buehler¡¯s best
If not for Walker Buehler's sparkling start after struggling in his first two outings for Boston, Story and the Red Sox likely never would have tasted victory on getaway day.
The veteran right-hander went 6 1/3 innings, holding the Jays to four hits and one run while walking one and striking out seven. The fact that his ERA went down to 5.74 shows how rough the previous two were.
¡°I think this is as good as I've felt [in a while],¡± Buehler said. ¡°We put in a ton of work this week, kind of with everyone in the building, about what we're seeing, what we're feeling. And it paid off this week, and now, it's kind of repeat or rinse and repeat and hope it kind of stays in there. I just felt more violent [with my stuff] than I have in a long time, and that¡¯s how I play when I¡¯m good. I¡¯m pretty pleased with it.¡±
The matchup with Jays righty Chris Bassitt was definitely a compelling one. Per Statcast, Bassitt threw eight types of pitches, while Buehler countered with seven.
¡°Those two guys today, their guy and our guy, that's pitchability,¡± said Cora. ¡°Moving the ball around and just controlling the tempo of the game. You know how I feel about Bassitt. That guy is really good, and our guy was great today.¡±