Ceddanne Rafaela with a big night at the plate and field in the Red Sox win over the Tigers
Ceddanne Rafaela homered twice for his first career multi-homer game and drove in five runs in the Red Sox 7-3 win over the Tigers at Fenway Park on Friday night.
Rafaela had his second-best offensive game this season after he set a career high in RBI against the Cubs on April 27.
Rafaela leads the Red Sox and all major league rookies with 33 RBI through the first two months of the season.
“This is a hard game, and it’s even harder at a young age,” Red Sox starter Tanner Houck said about Rafaela. “He’s 23 years old in the big leagues. You see the talent, and you know it’s there and all you can do is keep pushing him in the right direction and just trust that the talent’s going to pay off. For him to have a game like tonight’s, it’s great. I’m sure it’s a huge confidence boost for him. He’s a good player, and I’m excited to see where he can be one day.”
In the fourth inning, with the game tied 1-1, the No. 9 hitter crushed a go-ahead three-run homer off Tigers starter Kenta Maeda over the wall in left. Two innings later, Rafaela connected on a two-run shot to left center off the Tigers' Joey Wentz and put the Sox on top 7-3.
“There’s a comfort level,” Alex Cora said of Rafaela’s big offensive night. “Little by little, he’s getting there.”
In the top of the ninth, with one out, Rafaela made an impressive diving catch in center field, robbing Zach McKinstry of extra bases.
