Former Raiders CB works out for the New York Giants
Sam Webb, former Raiders cornerback, works out for the Giants.
The Red Sox hit two home runs in a game against the Phillies, marking a significant improvement after struggling to score at Fenway Park. This performance comes after a season where they had the lowest home run total in MLB.
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BOSTON â Through the first 20 home games of the season, the Red Sox had managed a mere nine homers â the lowest total of any club in Major League Baseball.
After decades in which Fenway Park more closely resembled a launching pad, with balls smacked over the inviting left field wall, the Red Sox this season seemed incapable of taking advantage of their own home ballpark.
On Wednesday night, it was as if the Red Sox suddenly remembered what sort of home field advantage they possess. Following weeks in which they were reduced to scratching out runs, the Sox belted two homers, accounting for all their runs, in a win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Granted, it was only three runs. But it was a quick reminder of what a weapon the long ball can be.
Trevor Story hit a solo shot in the second. Then, with the game tied 1-1 in the sixth, pinch-hitter Ceddanne Rafaela delivered a two-run shot to send the Sox ahead for good.
On this night, there would be no worrying about waiting around for a two-out single or sacrifice fly. Two quick swings did all the damage and provided the Red Sox with what they needed.
âWeâve talked a lot about (homers) in here,â said interim manager Chad Tracy, âand tonight, we get the long ball. Instant runs. Itâs still (just) three and obviously we want to get more. But two big swings in big spots.â
The homer remains both the quickest and most efficient way to score runs, but too many times this season, without power to bail them out, the Sox have seen potential rallies fizzle. Itâs far easier to get one or two big swings per game than it is to piece together extended innings with four or five hitters in a row contributing.
Not that the lack of thump should have caught the Red Sox off-guard.
Last June, they dealt away their best power bat, Rafael Devers, and have yet to replace him. Worse, they allowed to walk as a free agent. The arrival of , who leads all Red Sox hitters in homers with eight, might have made up for the loss of Bregman.
The Red Sox hit two home runs in their game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Before the game against the Phillies, the Red Sox had managed only nine home runs in their first 20 home games, the lowest in Major League Baseball.
Fenway Park has historically been known as a launching pad for home runs, particularly due to its inviting left field wall.
The Red Sox won the game against the Philadelphia Phillies, scoring all their runs through the two home runs.
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But the Sox didnât build on what they already had, despite an acknowledgement by chief baseball officer Craig Breslow last October that the team needed to acquire more slug.
That never happened, as the team pivoted to an emphasis on run prevention.
In the spring, some predictive models forecast that the Red Sox would not finish the year with anyone hitting 20 or more homers in their lineup. That forecast seemed absurd at the time; to date, itâs been close to prophetic.
The first six weeks of the season have proven that, even teams with strong pitching and defense have to wield a little power in their lineup.
The Sox have been involved in eight one-run games and lost five of them. How much difference would it have made to have another powerful bat in the middle of their lineup. For that matter, theyâre also under .500 (4-5) in games decided by two runs. Again, a couple of well-timed swings with men on base could have reversed those decisions.
Itâs been said that as the weather warms in New England, the ball will travel better and the homers will come for the Red Sox. But with more than a quarter of the season already complete, itâs debatable whether they can wait that long.
As it was, the Sox had gone without a homer in four of their previous five games, dropping three of those four. The connection between power and success in 2026 has never been more obvious.
As a team, the Sox went into Wednesday hitting below .200 with men in scoring position at home. Some of that can be overcome if the few hits a team collects are homers. But the combination of poor execution with men on base and the abject lack of power can be crushing for a lineup.
Thereâs nothing to suggest that two homers on a random night is proof of a turnaround for the lineup? More will be needed before it can be said that the Sox are a formidable offense.
But the ability to create instant offense makes all the difference, and sometimes, can turn what otherwise would have been one more loss into a win worth celebrating.
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