Bobby Dalbec made quite the pick on a Xander Bogaerts throw, and the shortstop made sure to thank his teammate with a little kiss on the hand.
The Athletics, down 2-0, had runners on second and third when Chad Pinder hit the ball to Bogaerts, who bounced his throw to Dalbec, but the first baseman made the pick to end the inning and the threat.
“I had to go over there and give him a kiss,” Bogaerts told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage.
The Boston Red Sox ended up beating Oakland 7-2.
It was a big night for Bogaerts, who now has played the most games at shortstop in Red Sox history, but he wanted the credit to go to Dalbec.
“That was huge. I’ve been lately putting him in bad spots and hoping for him to pick every one of the bad throws that I make,” Bogaerts told reporters. “And I’ve got to do better than that. The situation, two guys on. Second and third. It was an in between hop. I would say that was the play of the night. Forget the homer or anything like that. The game could have gone sideways quick if that one went behind.”
Manager Alex Cora also credited Dalbec, calling the pick a “game-changer” for the Red Sox.
“Tough hop for Bobby. You saw the reaction from Xander. He gave him a kiss in the dugout,” Cora said on NESN’s postgame coverage. “He works hard … That was a game-changer right there. If that ball goes by, it’s two runs, man at second, probably at third. So great play by him.”
The Red Sox continue their series against the A’s on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4:07 p.m. ET. You can catch all the action beginning at 3 p.m. on NESN.
