Roman Anthony smacked his first career Fenway Park homer
Roman Anthony clubbed his first career home run at Fenway Park on Monday night, as the top prospect in all of baseball continues to heat up for the Boston Red Sox.
Anthony was locked in again as the Red Sox opened a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Monday, going 3-for-5 as Boston's DH out of the cleanup spot. He followed up a first-inning strikeout with a third-inning single, and then went yard in his new home ballpark for the first time in the bottom of the fifth.
Anthony took a 1-1 fastball from Colorado starter Austin Gombert and sent it 418 feet into the stands in centerfield, giving Boston an important 5-1 cushion at the time. The ball left his bat at 106.4 mph, on what will be the first of many baseballs Anthony sends into the night sky at Fenway Park.
Anthony hit his first Major League homer back on June 16 in Seattle. He went 18 games between home runs, and is happy to get his first at Fenway out of the way.
"Yeah, it felt great," Anthony said following Boston's 9-3 victory. "To get that first one out of the way [at home] was great."
Anthony added another single in the bottom of the seventh, and showed off some great base-running skills as he scored all the way from first base on a pinch-hit single by Jarren Duran. Anthony was off with the pitch and kept motoring around the bases to give the Red Sox a 6-3 edge.
We're starting to see all the intangibles that made Anthony baseball's top prospect play out on the field at the Major League level. It's led to a bunch of hits by Anthony, and more wins for the Red Sox.
Roman Anthony's hot streak
Anthony's slow start to his Major League career is now merely an afterthought, with the 21-year-old scorching at the plate right now. Over his last 10 games, Anthony is slashing .386/.426/.569 with 17 hits in his last 47 plate appearances. He's racked up six doubles and Monday night's homer over that stretch, driving in six runs while scoring six of his own.
In his first 15 games with the Red Sox after being called up on June 9, Anthony slashed just .114/.291/.227, logging only five hits in his first 44 at-bats. He's now got his batting average up to .250 and his OPS to .751 with his recent surge.
"I think I've just settled in and gotten used to it, day by day," Anthony said after Monday's win. "I think the game planning has gotten a lot better, but I think the biggest thing is just settling in and being able to get in there and get consistent at-bats and having confidence within myself and trying to help this team win."
It also hasn't mattered if it's been a righty or lefty on the mound; Anthony has been hitting everyone as of late. He's actually hitting better against southpaws, going 9-for-34 for a .265 average, compared to his .241 average (13-for-54, but with eight of his nine extra-base hits) against right-handers. Over the last 10 games, Anthony is 9-for-22 against lefties to go with a .955 OPS.
Boston manager Alex Cora opted to sit Anthony and fellow prospect Marcelo Mayer against lefties to began their MLB careers. But Anthony's torrid stretch has forced Cora's hand into getting the future of the franchise into the lineup every day.
"I think, right now, playing Roman every day for us is the right move," said Cora. "He started out hitting fifth, and now, he's hitting second against righties and third against lefties. Like I said on the road, he will play every day."
With Anthony mashing at the plate, the Red Sox are stacking wins in the standings. Monday night was Boston's fourth straight win and sixth in its last seven games. Anthony and the Red Sox will look to keep the good times rolling Tuesday night against another lefty, with Kyle Freeland (1-9, 5.49 ERA) on the hill for the Rockies.
