Watch: Alex Bregman hits first home run with Red Sox in spring training
Bregman went 3 for 3 in his Red Sox spring training debut.
It didn’t take long for Alex Bregman to show what he could possibly do at Fenway Park in his first season with the Red Sox.
The Red Sox’ newest star hit a home run in his second at-bat of spring training on Sunday, taking Blue Jays pitcher Andrew Bash deep for a two-run homer in the second inning. Bregman took Bash’s fastball over the heart of the plate and sent it over the top of the wall in left field at JetBlue Park, giving the Red Sox a 3-0 lead.
While the field dimensions of JetBlue Park are the same as Fenway Park, it’s actually a little tougher to clear the left field fence at Fenway South. The replica version of the Green Monster at JetBlue Park is four feet taller.
That height difference might have cost Bregman from hitting his second homer of the game in the fourth inning. Bregman hit a liner off Blue Jays righty Jake Bloss that hit the wall between the bottom section of fans and the top section of fans. Still, Bregman was able to trot into second base for a double.
Those two power hits came after a relatively weaker hit for Bregman in his first at-bat. He got on board in the first inning when he hit a single to shallow center field, moving Roman Anthony to third.
While Bregman’s damage didn’t come against the most impressive slate of Blue Jays pitchers (his first-inning single was off end of the rotation starter Yariel Rodriguez), it could be a sign of what’s to come this season. Bregman has hit incredibly well at Fenway Park over his career, hitting .375 with a 1.240 OPS and seven homers over 80 at-bats. That OPS is the best mark of any hitter with at least 95 plate appearances in Fenway Park’s history.
As for fielding matters, Bregman played third base in Sunday’s game with Rafael Devers out. Boston is slow-playing things with Devers after he dealt with a shoulder injury late last season.
The Red Sox signed Bregman to a three-year, $120 million deal in February.
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