Kiké Hernández has a way with words.
The Boston Red Sox super-utilityman made a game-saving throw in the 10th inning of Friday night’s win over the Oakland Athletics.
With runners on the corners, nobody out and the Sox up 3-2, Sean Murphy lifted a sacrifice fly attempt into center field. Hernández charged after it and launched a perfect throw that beat tagging runner Seth Brown home. The end result was a double play, and Adam Ottavino got the next hitter, Frank Schwindel, to pop out to end the game.
After Boston’s victory, which was its eighth straight, Hernández broke down the play for NESN’s Mike Monaco.
“It’s funny, because literally right before the pitch I called Hunter (Renfroe) and I told him that if they hit a ball in between us that he should take it because he’s got the better arm and obviously the better angle,” Hernández said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “(Murphy) hit the ball pretty shallow and I did a pretty good job of staying behind it. I wasn’t sure if they were going to send (Brown) because I thought I was pretty shallow, but just wanted to make a good throw so that the runner at first wouldn’t advance on an overthrow or whatnot.
“But I’m glad he went and I’m glad Christian (Vázquez) caught it and he tagged him and I’m glad we won.”
Perfectly stated.
Hernández and the Red Sox will play the middle contest of their three-game set against the A’s on Saturday night.
