Even though the Red Sox have been eliminated from the postseason, one bright spot for the team has been Christian Vazquez.
The catcher is having a career year with a .274 average with 22 home runs — one coming in Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Rays — and 69 RBIs. Prior to this season, Vazquez’s career-high for dingers sat at five, which came in 2017. He only belted three in 2018.
Manager Alex Cora continues to be impressed by the numbers Vazquez has been putting up at the plate, and with good reason. Check out the elusive list of catchers Vazquez joined by hitting at least 20 dingers.
So what’s been the secret behind his recent success?
“Everybody wants to hit homers, so why not?” he told NESN’s Guerin Austin after the game, as seen on “Red Sox Extra Innings.”
He added, per NBC Sports Boston: “This year, I think I’m having more fun. I was working in the offseason trying to hit more fly balls. And it’s working.”
Yes, yes it most certainly is.