Jackie Bradley Jr. after injury scare: ‘I’m built like Secretariat’
If there was one Red Sox player who took Saturday’s loss the hardest, it might have been Jackie Bradley Jr.
In the literal sense, that is.
After slamming into the right field wall to make a stunning catch in the bottom of the eighth inning and a scary, awkward fall rounding first base in the top of the ninth (not to mentioned the crippling flu bug making the rounds through the Red Sox roster), Bradley Jr. was asked about his health.
“I’m built like Secretariat,” he told the Boston Herald following Saturday’s game. “It’s all good.”
During his ninth-inning fly-out, Bradley clipped his foot in the infield dirt and appeared to hyperextend his right knee. But according to the Herald, initial tests on the knee came back negative and Bradley Jr. expects to play Sunday.
Durability has not been a question for the 26-year-old centerfielder, who played in all but six regular season games last year. It remains to be seen whether the comparisons with Secretariat end there — of if Red Sox fans should soon be expecting a Triple Crown from Bradley Jr. as well.
Judging by his recent batting averages, probably not. But even the Triple Crown-winning racehorse might have had a tough go matching Bradley’s outfield speed.
