FORT MYERS, Fla. — Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli thought he had hit his third home run of spring training against the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium on Thursday. Then, Napoli received some bad news.
Napoli crushed a ball down the left field line in the sixth inning with the Red Sox leading 4-3. The slugger, thinking it was a home run, rounded the bases before learning that the umpires called his deep drive foul.
Red Sox manager John Farrell trotted out of the dugout for a conversation with the umpiring crew, which prompted a video review. Home runs still are subject to video review, so Farrell did not need to use his challenge, which was a good thing for Boston because the umpires’ initial foul call was upheld. (Farrell challenged a separate play in the bottom of the sixth inning.)
Napoli finished his at-bat by grounding out to second base. There’s no denying, however, that Napoli absolutely smoked Samuel Deduno’s offering, reinforcing the notion that the bearded one is locked in this spring.
Check out Napoli’s near homer, as well as the ensuing video review, in the video below.
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