Triston Casas is officially a member of the Boston Red Sox, and he had no problem making himself comfortable in his first appearance at Fenway Park as a big leaguer.
Casas got comfortable in the outfield grass ahead of his debut game with the Red Sox, a 5-2 Boston win over the Texas Rangers. The Red Sox’s No. 2 prospect made some headlines as he strolled around without shoes or a shirt prior to first pitch, and explained the reasoning for his odd pregame routine following the game.
“I don’t necessarily like caffeine. I don’t drink coffee or energy drinks. I feel better after I get some sunlight on my body and that’s what I do,” Casas said, as transcribed by MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “I don’t think too much of it in terms of grounding or any science behind it but I just feel better after I do it.”
There’s no doubt that he felt good, as the 22-year-old went 1-for-4 from the plate, narrowly missing out on a home run in his first at-bat. The youngster also played a solid defensive first base, leading to praise from his manager Alex Cora and teammates Trevor Story and Eric Hosmer following the game.
When asked about his teammates’ comments that he looked calm, Casas agreed.
“This is everything I’ve ever dreamed of, all culminating in one day and throughout that I felt prepared. I was confident,” Casas said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Been working for this for a long, really long, time. So I wasn’t nervous. I mean, I was nervous but I wasn’t too scared. I felt like I was ready for the moment.”
As cool as the other side of the pillow, Casas will need to stay that way as the Red Sox will continue to lean on him throughout the remainder of the 2022 season.
