BOSTON — Plenty of people gave up on Jackie Bradley Jr. as a hitter before the end of the 2015 season, but the Red Sox didn’t. And neither did Jackie Bradley Jr.
The Red Sox center fielder once again showed his importance at the plate in Boston’s 8-0 win over the New York Yankees on Saturday, going 3-for-3 and plating three runs with a double and two triples. And for Bradley, it’s all about sticking to the basics.
“I think my approach is to try to — it sounds simple — but just to put the barrel on the ball,” Bradley said. “I don’t want to try to force things because sometimes when I try to force things, I manipulate my swing, and I just want to put the fat part of the bat on the ball.”
Bradley began the 2015 season in Triple-A Pawtucket. He came up in May and was demoted again in July, finishing that month with an abysmal .125 average and .417 OPS. But he fended off his detractors by hitting .354 in the month of August, and now he’s doing the same. He started Saturday’s game with a .244 average and .692 OPS and vaulted those numbers to .272 and .807 by the game’s end.
And he did it by believing in himself and his abilities.
“Just being determined, knowing what I have to do, and just trying to take care of business,” Bradley said. “It’s a tough game. It’ll eat you up if you let it. Just staying confident in myself, believing in myself, knowing that I have what it takes to play here, and not straying away from that.”
Bradley wasn’t alone, though. The Red Sox have trusted him all along, too.
“He’s always got that carrying tool that he can be a game-changer in center field, so you’re going to ride it out,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “At times guys need some patience, they need support, they need encouragement. Jackie has lived through some challenges in his time here in Boston, but he continues to grow and understand himself, and it was a matter of time.”
Here are some more notes from Saturday’s win.
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— Starter Rick Porcello deserves plenty of credit for the win, too. With his seven scoreless innings, the right-hander became the first Red Sox pitcher to earn the win in his first five starts since Josh Beckett did it in 2007. And his success actually is a continuation since returning from the disabled list last August.
“I think the mindset’s the same (as August),” Porcello said. “Keep the ball down, sinker first and foremost, and then everything kind of plays off the bat. I think that’s been the consistent approach since I came back from the DL last year, and just try to go out there and execute that plan.”
— Porcello also helped his own cause with a heads-up play in the fifth inning he made while backing up third base.
“I don’t know if I had to dive,” Porcello said with a laugh. “I kind of played it out a little too much.”
— David Ortiz hit his fifth home run of the season, a monster solo shot to the center field bleachers. It’s the second time this season he’s homered in back-to-back games, too.
— The Red Sox shut out the Yankees for the first time since June 2, 2013. It was the first time they did it at Fenway Park since May 14, 2011.
— Mookie Betts loves to hit for extra bases against the Yankees. The Red Sox right fielder hit a two-RBI double Saturday, giving him 14 extra-base hits in his last 14 games against New York.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
