Red Sox slugger Triston Casas broke the game open at Truist Park on Wednesday night as his two-run home run in the ninth inning propelled Boston to a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
But Casas, who walked up to the plate with Jarren Duran on second base after a lead-off double, comically rehashed how the 442-foot blast to right-center field was not the outcome he was hoping for.
“I was just trying to hit a ground ball to second base so it went about 441 feet further than I wanted to,” Casas told reporters after the game, per WEEI’s Rob Bradford.
Why might that be?
Well, as MLB.com’s Ian Browne pointed out, Red Sox players were hoping Kenley Jansen would have the chance to register his 400th career save against the Braves. And Casas’ two-run shot, which turned Boston’s 3-2 lead into a 5-2 advantage, initially made it less likely Jansen would take the rubber in the bottom half of the frame.
It worked out for everyone, though.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora sent Jansen into the game in the bottom of the ninth and the veteran closer recorded the milestone mark against the team he grew up cheering for, and the team he played for last season. Jansen worked around a one-out double before a game-ending strikeout granted himself an unforgettable memory and the Red Sox a split in the two-game set. Jansen called it a “surreal” moment.
The outpouring of support was felt in the Red Sox clubhouse as Jansen was gifted a bass guitar with the No. 400 carved into it. Past and present players and teammates, coaches and his family all congratulated Jansen. He became only the seventh pitcher in MLB history to accomplish the feat.
And Casas surely is thankful his insurance-providing blast didn’t ruin that moment.
