BOSTON — Hanley Ramirez has hit a few home runs in his day, so he knows how to celebrate when he lets one fly.
The Red Sox slugger did just that Wednesday in the fifth inning of Boston’s contest against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. With the bases loaded, two outs and the Sox trailing by three, Ramirez launched Drew Smyly’s first pitch of the at-bat to deep center field for a go-ahead grand slam.
Monsters are no match for @HanleyRamirez. https://t.co/5varSwr8Rm #PapaSlam pic.twitter.com/i5IQtOOLk4
— MLB (@MLB) August 31, 2016
Hanley had a little trouble parting with his bat after the 426-foot bomb, which left his bat at approximately 105 mph. But the first baseman finally disposed of his lumber, channeling Jose Bautista with a healthy bat toss.
.@HanleyRamirez changed this one with a swing of the bat: https://t.co/wHsY2F5CKq pic.twitter.com/femMnQCQqZ
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 31, 2016
Ramirez’s big homer, which helped the Red Sox earn a wild 8-6 win at Fenway, was his 19th of the season and second in as many games, as he snuck a 324-foot home run around Pesky’s Pole on Tuesday night.
Hanley left little doubt about this one, though.
“The first two at-bats, he threw me a fastball first pitch,” Ramirez said after the game. “It can’t happen three times in a row. So, I was ready for it.”
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
