BOSTON — Shane Victorino raised his arms in triumph Sunday morning at Fenway Park.
Victorino, a late scratch Saturday because of rib soreness, was penciled into the Boston Red Sox’s starting lineup against the Baltimore Orioles, much to the veteran outfielder’s delight.
“He swung in the cage during the game (Saturday),” Red Sox manager John Farrell said before Sunday’s contest. “He checked out fine. He’s full-go, ready to go.”
Victorino confirmed he felt fine physically, and his excitement over returning to the starting lineup two days after crashing into the right field wall at Fenway was obvious. The 34-year-old stressed he has no plans to change his hard-nosed style of play despite battling various injuries over the last couple of years.
“No second-guessing,” Victorino said. “Like I told you guys, if I’m out there, I’m going to give you what I have.
“Obviously a play like that, I’m instinctively just going to go after it,” added Victorino, who stayed in Friday’s game after slamming into the short wall near Pesky’s Pole while trying to make a catch. “Of course we have to be a little smart, but sometimes it’s hard to play smart when you’re in the moment. Obviously that was definitely a play that was in the moment.”
Victorino has a nice little bruise on his left ribcage. He also spent some time on the ground immediately after crashing into the wall after making a leaping attempt to rob Caleb Joseph of a home run. The Flyin’ Hawaiian’s biggest regret, however, is not making the catch. Cuts, scrapes, bumps and bruises simply come with the territory of playing right field at Fenway Park.
“It wasn’t the fact that I was hurt. It was painful, it was sore, but I was just upset that I missed that ball and cost my team a run. That’s how I look at it,” Victorino said Sunday morning. “But I feel good today, so we’ll go from here.”
Victorino, who was limited to 30 major league games in 2014 before undergoing season-ending back surgery, is hitting .125 (3-for-24) in eight games this season.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
