Brock Holt continues to be Mr. Pinch-Hit Clutch for the Boston Red Sox.
The super utility player, once again, came up big for Boston during Saturday’s 5-3 win against the New York Mets at Fenway Park. After Sandy Leon continued his offensive struggles at the dish, Boston manager Alex Cora elected to pinch-hit Holt in the fifth, and he certainly delivered.
With the game tied at three after a Jackie Bradley Jr. two-run double, Mets reliever Paul Sewald intentionally walked Rafael Devers to get to Holt and that was a mistake. Â Holt sent the first pitch he saw off the Green Monster to drive in the two base runners to give the Sox a 5-3 lead and the eventual win.
“Brock has been swinging the bat well off of the bench,” Cora said as seen on NESN’s Red Sox postgame coverage. “So we took a chance.”
It’s proven to be a chance worth taking, as Holt is 5-for-13 with five extra-base hits, seven RBIs and four runs as a pinch-hitter this season.
“One thing for sure, he’s aggressive in those situations … he’s a good hitter,” Cora said. “He puts good at-bats and we’re comfortable with him in those spots.”
The double also marked the third go-ahead run he’s driven in as a pinch-hitter this season — all of which have been game-winners.
Here are some other notes from Saturday’s Red Sox-Mets game:
— Both Ryan Brasier and Steven Wright pitched scoreless innings in relief Saturday. Wright worked his way out of a jam in the seventh and Brasier pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, but Cora said the future still isn’t clear for the backend of the Sox’s bullpen.
“We gotta wait for (Matt Barnes) to get healthy. And that’s very important for us,” Cora said. “Every conversation we have the last few days about bullpen, we forget that Barnes is very important for us and when he comes back, it gives you another option.”
— Saturday marked win No. 102 for Boston, the third-most wins in franchise history and lowered the Sox’s magic number to clinch the American League East to four.
— Rick Porcello allowed just two hits over five innings of work, while the bullpen pitched four shutout innings in relief.
— The Red Sox need just four more wins over their final 13 games to beat the franchise wins record of 105.
