Connor Wong discussed how he’s been ‘working towards’ success at the plate
Wong belted a pair of home runs to help the Red Sox get another win against the Blue Jays.
The Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays 7-6 on Tuesday. Boston will face Toronto again at Fenway Park this evening at 7:10 p.m.
The Celtics host the 76ers tonight in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. Philadelphia leads the best-of-seven series 1-0.
Connor Wong’s big day: With two straight wins over the Blue Jays, the Red Sox need only one more to equal the team’s entire total against Toronto in 2022 (when Boston was 3-16 against its American League East rival).
A big factor in Tuesday’s win was Red Sox catcher Connor Wong. The 26-year-old, who arrived in Boston as part of the Mookie Betts trade with the Dodgers in 2020, went 4-for-4 with two home runs. His second home run of the day, coming in the eighth inning, ultimately proved to be the difference in a one-run game.
For Wong, known as a catcher who contributes more defensively, his recent performances at the plate have been an example of hard work coming to fruition.
“It was great,” Wong told reporters about his contributions on Tuesday. “Obviously it’s something I’ve been working towards and it’s nice to have success.”
He’s now 9-for-12 in his last three games with three home runs.
“Connor has upside. He’s a good athlete,” Boston manager Alex Cora noted. “It’s just a matter for him to keep working and keep putting himself in a good position to hit.”
Another reason for his recent uptick: More playing time.
“The more consistent [at-bats] you get, your eyes get used to seeing pitches, and you can take pitches better, put better swings on balls,” Wong explained. “So I think it does play a factor.”
The Red Sox now hold a 17-14 record, but are 7.5 games behind the first place Rays (currently an MLB best 24-6).
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Andrew Benintendi’s big day: The former Red Sox outfielder helped the White Sox get a win on Tuesday by taking a home run away from the Twins and eventually hitting a walk-off in the bottom of the 10th inning.
A Wrexham celebration: Club owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney celebrated with the Wrexham men’s and women’s teams, who each recently won promotion. The two actors bought the club in 2021.
On this day: In 2002, the Celtics topped the 76ers 120-87 in a decisive Game 5 of a first-round playoff series.
Paul Pierce led Boston with 46 points, shooting 8-for-10 from three-point range.
Daily highlight: Joe Pavelski became the oldest player in NHL history to score four goals in a playoff game on Tuesday. His final goal of the night was arguably the most impressive, as he batted the puck out of mid-air and into the net. It still wasn’t enough, however, as Seattle defeated Dallas in overtime of Game 1, 5-4.
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