Christian Vázquez Saves Day For Red Sox Despite ‘Wheels’ Falling Off

It was a big win for the Boston Red Sox on Saturday as catcher Christian Vázquez rallied the team with a rocket of triple, triggering momentum for a ninth-inning run against the Washington Nationals.

With José Iglesias pinch running for J.D. Martinez in a tie game in the top of the ninth, Vázquez took the first pitch he saw for a spin to drive in the winning run.

“It was a big hit,” Vázquez said after the game via Zoom. “I was slowing down at second base, my wheels were off there, but I made it to third so it was good.

“I was looking for my pitch, a fastball. I tried to drive it and, you know, square position and we got Travis Shaw behind me, so, yeah. I hit it and it was a good swing. It was fun.”

It started a chain reaction.

After the triple, Kiké Hernández and Travis Shaw hit back-to-back homers for some insurance to give Boston a comfortable 5-1 lead before they ultimately won it 5-3.

It helped the Red Sox get even with the New York Yankees for the first wild card spot in the American League with one game left in the regular season.