Marco Hernandez has not had his number called all that often this season with the Boston Red Sox.
But for the second time this season, the utility infielder came through in the clutch late in the game for the Sox.
Last week, Hernandez launched a game-tying home run in the ninth against the Baltimore Orioles for his second career home run. And on Monday, Hernandez gave Boston a walk-off 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park.
Hernandez came up with two outs and the bases loaded and poked a ball to the right of White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, beating out the throw to give Boston their second walk-off win in four days.
“I tried to be patient at the plate and I tried to put the ball in play,” Hernandez told NESN’s Guerin Austin after the game, seconds after getting doused in a Gatorade bath from Xander Bogaerts. “Man on third, two outs, I can run. So, just put the ball in play and something happens.”
It’s the latest chapter in an inspiring comeback effort by the 26-year-old, who has had three surgeries on his shoulder since injuring it in 2017. He missed all of last season.
“I’ve been saying it since spring training. If I am healthy I can help the team win,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez also accounted for the tying run Monday night. He pinch ran for Christian Vazquez in the eighth, stole second and then scored on an Eduardo Nunez base hit.
Here are some other notes from Monday’s Red Sox-White Sox game:
— Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts each launched solo home runs for the Red Sox.
Boston has hit 115 home runs this season, 11th in baseball, but the majority of them have come without men on base. Only the Cleveland Indians have had a higher percentage of their home runs come with the bases empty.
#RedSox Mookie Betts makes this a one-run game. That’s 76 solo shots this season for BOS, including two tonight. Started the day tied for 4th-most solo shots in #MLB this season.
— Red Sox Nation Stats (@RSNStats) June 25, 2019
Entering tonight, only #Indians have hit more solo shots than #RedSox as a percentage of all home runs in 2019:
1. #Indians, 74.2%
2 #RedSox, 66.7%
3. #Tigers, 64.1%
4. #Marlins, 63.2%
…
27. #Yankees, 54.0%
28. #Rockies, 51.5%
29. #Rangers, 49.5%
30 #Pirates, .48.0%— Red Sox Nation Stats (@RSNStats) June 25, 2019
— Vazquez continues to be a revelation at the plate.
Never really known for his offensive production, Vazquez is hitting .291 on the campaign with 10 home runs. He extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his eighth-inning knock. He is 10-for-31 with three homers and six RBI’s over his last seven contests.
— Boston bullpen was not charged with a run over 2 2/3 innings of work.
Marcus Walden and Josh Taylor each struck out two as the ‘pen combined to fan six hitters while allowing just two hits, putting Boston in a position to strike in the late innings.
— Eduardo Rodriguez was dealt a no decision.
The southpaw looked on pace for another quality start through six innings. Rodriguez had allowed three runs on just five hits with four strikeouts and no walks through 92 pitches. But Rodriguez was back out for the seventh after the Sox tied things 3-3 in the bottom half. He proceeded to give up a leadoff walk and a single as the White Sox hung two runs in the inning. Rodriguez’s final line was five runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Still, the Red Sox are 12-2 in his last 14 starts.
— The walk-off was Boston’s fifth of the season by the fifth different player.
