Michael Chavis didn’t look like a rookie when he stepped into the batter’s box in the 10th inning Wednesday night.
But after the winning run crossed the plate? Well, that’s a different story.
The Boston Red Sox earned a 6-5 extra-innings win over the Colorado Rockies courtesy of Chavis’ walk-off knock. The 23-year-old jumped on the first pitch he saw from Chad Bettis and laced a single up the middle to put Boston back in the win column.
Chavis stood in between first and second base, helmet in hand, as he watched Xander Bogaerts jaunt across home plate for the game-winning run. It was the first career walk-off for the young slugger, which was made clear by how he handled his on-field celebration.
“I just forgot what to do,” Chavis said, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “I had my helmet… I was like, ‘Do I throw it? Do I keep it, Do I hand it to somebody?’ I turned, got tackled by Mookie (Betts). Gave him a hug. That was great, honestly. I’m a big hugger.”
Chavis is putting together an awfully impressive start to his big league career, making it near impossible for manager Alex Cora to take him out of the lineup. If this trend continues, Chavis likely will have plenty more opportunities to deliver in the clutch.
