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Red Sox credit reliever who ‘saved the day’ in win vs. Angels
"It felt good to pick up the team and to pick up Bello."
Red Sox praise Justin Slaten: Red Sox reliever Justin Slaten didn’t feature for long in Sunday’s 5-4 win over the Angels, but his impact was immense in the eyes of manager Alex Cora and closer Kenley Jansen.
Slaten, 26, was called out of the bullpen to replace starter Brayan Bello in the sixth inning with one out and runners at first and third. With Boston clinging to a 3-2 lead, Slaten did his job in one pitch: His 90 mph cutter inducted an inning-ending double-play. Slaten ended up pitching 2.2 innings, allowing one run.
Afterward, Cora cited Slaten’s double-play as a turning point.
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“That one pitch, double play, saved the day,” Cora told reporters. “One pitch to double-play was great for us.”
Jansen, who was credited with the save after Slaten’s appearance, also shouted out the importance of the sixth inning sequence.
“He’s nasty, man. He’s nasty,” Jansen said of Slaten. “He mixed and matched today and used his off-speed more. He’s going to be great. Picking up the bullpen, especially right now. We have two big dogs down right now. And we need him.”
“Coming out of the bullpen, that was the only thing on my mind: Throw my best pitch for a ground ball,” Slaten explained. “Luckily, I was able to throw one and get out of it. It felt good to pick up the team and to pick up Bello.”
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Trivia: Tyler O’Neil currently leads the American League in home runs with seven. He is the third Red Sox player to hit at least seven home runs in the team’s first 16 games of a season since 2000. Can you name the other two to achieve the feat?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: One happened a year ago, the other was 2001. Both are/were infielders.
Scores and schedules:
On Sunday, the Celtics defeated the Wizards 132-122 in the regular season finale.
The Red Sox also won, beating the Angels 5-4 at Fenway Park.
Elsewhere, 27-year-old Scottie Scheffler won his second Masters, dominating the field in the final round on Sunday.
On Monday, the 128th Boston Marathon gets underway as 30,000 runners make their way from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.
The Red Sox, as is tradition, begin a Patriots’ Day game at 11:10 a.m., starting a three-game series against the Guardians.
Tonight, the Bruins will be in Washington D.C. to play the Capitals at 7 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
- What you need to know about the 2024 Boston Marathon
- Boston Marathon start times: When will runners cross the finish line?
- ‘DeMar is a superman’: How the original Boston Marathon great reached his apex in 1924
- Emma Bates, a top US contender in the Boston Marathon, will be looking out for potholes
- Meb Keflezighi gave Boston ‘the thrill of a lifetime.’ A decade later, he’s back.
- Yoshida, O’Neill, Casas homer for Red Sox, who beat Angels 5-4
- Mike Gorman takes center stage as Celtics close regular season with win: 7 takeaways
- The Celtics honor retiring TV play-by-play voice Mike Gorman for his 43-year career with the team
- If Tom Brady unretires, Patriots hold second-best odds to land him
- Tom Brady on Rodney Harrison: ‘He should be in the Hall of Fame’
Mike Gorman’s ceremony: The Celtics honored longtime announcer Mike Gorman on Sunday.
‘Boban, man of the people‘: Backup center (and notable John Wick actor) Boban Marjanović appeared to intentionally miss a second consecutive free throw during a game on Sunday, a move that (because of a Clippers promotion) won everyone in attendance a free Chick-fil-A sandwich.
On this day: In 1946, Greek runner Stylianos Kyriakides stunned a talented field (including his friend, Johnny Kelley) to win the Boston Marathon. Having survived German occupation of Greece during World War II, Kyriakides came to Boston to not only run but help raise awareness and money for his war-torn home country.
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In victory, Greece’s “modern Pheidippedes” became informally known as the Boston Marathon’s first charity runner.
Daily highlight: Andrew Lanthier of Saint Michael’s College made a spectacular catch to rob a home run on Sunday. It notably came almost exactly a year after another Saint Mike’s outfielder made a simiarly excellent grab.
Trivia answer: Rafael Devers, Brian Daubach
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