“I’m gonna turn off the professional mode — that was awesome, dude!”
Boston Red Sox fans have heard a lot about Michael Chavis’ personality. The highly touted infield prospect has a reputation for being infectious, energetic and, at times, just a little cocky. The 23-year-old also has a bat that’s considered major-league ready, the primary reason for why he was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday.
Well, Chavis showed the Red Sox and their fans what he’s all about Saturday night, and the results were just what the team needed.
The hard-hitting rookie ripped a one-out, eighth-inning double off Tampa Bay Rays star reliever Jose Alvarado for his first big-league hit. The double, which came with the game tied 5-5, put runners on second and third for Andrew Benintendi, who drove home the eventual winning run on a sacrifice fly. It was a huge play in a win that gave the Red Sox their first series win of the 2019 season.
In case you missed it, here’s the first hit of Chavis’ Major League Baseball career:
If Chavis wasn’t the star of the game — Benintendi hit a grand slam, after all — he certainly was the life of the party after the final out.
“Y’all are here in this moment with me. I just need to celebrate this,” Chavis said in the Red Sox clubhouse, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “It was really cool.”
Chavis’ postgame interview was among the most entertaining clubhouse interviews you’ll see from a Red Sox player all year.
Chavis couldn’t have scripted his major league debut any better. He had a big hit off a dominant reliever, shared an awesome moment with his family after a victory and can carry some good vibes into Sunday, when he’s expected to get his first start.
Most importantly, Chavis proved to himself that he deserves a spot on the big-league roster.
“I guess personally it’s kind of a reassurance that I belong,” he said. “It was my first hit. It’s obviously a big deal in a very big moment, but being in that situation and off that quality of a pitcher it was very special.”
Time will tell what role Chavis will have with the 2019 Red Sox. Maybe he sticks around, maybe he gets sent back to Pawtucket once infielders Brock Holt, Dustin Pedroia and Eduardo Nunez are able to return from the injured list. Maybe the 2014 first-round pick will spend a bulk of the year in Triple-A before being summoned for a part-time role in September.
For now, Chavis can relish in the fact that he needed just one at-bat to leave his mark on the 2019 Red Sox, and just one interview to become fan-favorite.
