Jarren Duran’s home run in the 2024 All-Star Game sent him home with the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award and a memory he will never forget.
The outfielder became the fifth Red Sox player, ever, to receive the honor since J.D. Drew in 2008.
Duran replaced New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge as the cleanup hitter in the fifth inning. He came up to bat in a tie game and launched a two-run homer that was the game-decider for the American League.
The All-Star hit the long ball off right-hander Hunter Greene after getting out the first two batters he faced and allowed a single to Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander. Despite having a runner on base, Greene said his approach for Duran was the same as everyone else: attack the zone.
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Greene threw Duran a 95.9 mph fastball in the strike zone which the Red Sox player did not swing at. The right-hander then hung a splitter that Duran swung at to give the AL a lead and himself MVP.
Duran said that Greene did exactly what he had prayed for to start the at-bat.
“Well, I knew he threw really hard, so I was just praying he would throw me a first-pitch fastball so I could see how hard it was,” Duran told reporters, per MLB.com’s Jake Rill. “After that, I was hoping to get a pitch up.”
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With the success Duran had, he will have some confidence coming out of the All-Star break. The Red Sox will end the break with their West Coast trip, taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers at 10:10 p.m. ET with all game coverage on NESN.
Featured image via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images
