Red Sox rookie Ceddanne Rafaela has made the ridiculous look routine, and that was on display Monday. Boston earned a 9-5 win in its series opener against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The matchup was highlighted by Jarren Duran’s athleticism and Romy González’s pinch-hit home run. But the highlight of the season came […]
Red Sox rookie Ceddanne Rafaela has made the ridiculous look routine, and that was on display Monday.
Boston earned a 9-5 win in its series opener against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The matchup was highlighted by Jarren Duran's athleticism and Romy González's pinch-hit home run. But the highlight of the season came in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Red Sox and Royals were tied at 2-2 when Maikel Garcia hit a booming drive to straightaway center. The ball was tough to see with the sky at dusk, but Rafaela twisted in the air to make the leaping grab before slamming into the wall to end the inning.
"I tried to see it on the iPad (in the dugout), but I really couldn't," Rafaela told reporters, per Sean McAdam of MassLive. "I just saw it. It was a good catch. That play right there, I didn't even realize it (the degree of difficulty). Now, I'm seeing it and I'm like, 'Wow.’ It was a good catch."
That was an understatement from the 23-year-old, who also wowed fans, including Jonathan Papelbon, when he blew a bubble while retrieving a groundball and throwing a dart to first base in a matchup against the Oakland Athletics last month.
Manager Alex Cora was in awe of what Rafaela did at center field, and Rafaela revealed how much his instincts came into play on the catch.
"I didn't have the perfect route," Rafaela said, "But I was sprinting back, I just tried to catch the ball. I didn't really think about having to make it backhanded. It just happened in the moment."
Rafaela also was solid at the plate going 2-for-4 on Monday, and he'll look to make even more highlight-reel plays in the middle matchup of the series Tuesday.
