A look back at Jarren Duran’s first major league hit and series against the Yankees in 2021
The Jarren Duran experience got underway with the Red Sox during the 2021 season. Duran made his much anticipated debut versus the Yankees in the Bronx. His debut came on a rainy Saturday but that didn’t stop Duran.
The then top minor league prospect collected his first career major-league hit off of Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. During the top of the second inning, Duran would rip the first pitch thrown by Cole into center field for his first career hit.
The 26-year-old outfielder would later score that inning off a Christian Arroyo hit to left field. Duran showed off his blazing speed as he scored from second base. While scoring, he had a peak sprint speed of 29.3 feet per second as he sprinted home.
Following the game, Duran was asked what it was like facing Cole and what he expected.
“I was hoping he’d throw me a fastball,” Duran told reporters after the game. “He’s a really good pitcher, so I wanted to make sure I got my pitch before he started to dice me up. I guess that worked in my favor and I got a fastball first pitch.”
Duran would finish his first career major-league game going 1-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout. He would also explain what it felt like to get his first hit in his first at-bat.
“I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders,” Duran told reporters. “I was like, ‘Ok, I can relax now’ just getting that first one out of the way.”
Which two Red Sox prospects should you keep an eye on next season
In his second game, Duran struggled at the dish going 0-for-4 with with two strikeouts.
Duran’s teammate Alex Verdugo was mic’d up by ESPN during the game. In Duran’s first at-bat, Verdugo commented how relaxed Duran looked at the plate. Duran was shifting his hips at the plate where it looked like he was getting into a rhythm. He would ultimately pop it up to deep left field, it looked like Duran was trying to launch one.
The hype and anticipation surrounding Duran was incredibly high heading into last season.
Since Duran’s initial call up, his time with the major league team has been tumultuous at best. The California native has played in 91 games, he owns a .221 career batting average with a .622 OPS.
The Final Out: Red Sox closer Koji Uehara closes the door on the Cardinals
Once Duran was called up, the young outfielder said he felt the pressure to play a certain way. Ultimately, that pressure made his big-league experience seem bigger than it needed to be.
“In the big leagues, it just felt like more,” Duran said, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “Instead of taking it as ‘It’s just still a game,’ I took it as, ‘This is the big leagues. I have to be smarter. I can’t play with my hair on fire like I did in Worcester. I can’t scream and yell at my teammates.’ But I can do that. They want me to… I made it way bigger than it needed to be. It’s literally just going out with the same group of guys and having fun.”
Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisHenrique
For additional Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, MLB and NFL content follow Beyond the Monster on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr.