Six years after he was drafted, a 'calm' Mickey Gasper makes big league debut in a key spot for the Red Sox
Red Sox rookie catcher Mickey Gasper started the year in Double-A Portland, he impressed in the shadows of the “Big 3” at the plate, and he earned himself a promotion to Triple-A Worcester.
Since joining the WooSox, Gasper has continued to produce at the plate while offering his versatility on the field as a catcher, first baseman, and second baseman. Gasper mashed hitting .401 with eight homers and 32 RBI and owning a jaw-dropping 1.179 OPS in Triple-A.
In total, the former minor league Rule 5 draft pick has posted .341/.458/1.017 with 95 hits, 25 doubles, 12 homers, 54 RBI, 55 walks, four stolen bases, and 64 runs in 84 games. Those impressive numbers earned him a promotion to the Red Sox and he would immediately make his big league debut on Monday night against the Rangers.
Late in the game, with the score tied 3-3, Red Sox manager Alex Cora called upon Gasper to hit; he would be summoned to face Rangers lefty reliever Walter Pennington.
The switch-hitting catcher would pinch-hit for David Hamilton. Down in the count 1-2, Gasper was patient with a boisterous Fenway Park on their feet. The 28-year-old worked a seven-pitch walk that loaded the bases with one out and put the Red Sox on the brink of a much-needed walk-off win.
Rob Refsnyder did the rest just two batters later, sending a line drive hit into left center field, snapping a four-game skid, and bringing Boston back within two games of the Royals for the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
“A lot of the credit goes to [Gasper],” Refsnyder said postgame. “That was a huge at-bat. We gave him a beer shower to celebrate his debut, and it was just a fantastic job by him.”
Gasper was able to show his patience at the plate and quickly made a name for himself for Red Sox fans who were unfamiliar with the minor league catcher.
“I've always thought the big leagues were realistic. People told me that I'm a big league hitter before,” said Gasper. “Anything short of the big leagues just didn't seem like a possibility for me.”
Gasper said after the game he didn’t feel nervous for his first Major League plate appearance.
“I was so calm up there,” said Gasper. “I guess I felt like I was at home. I don't know. I was relaxed. Saw the first couple pitches and was a little upset he dotted that stinker on me. That was a good pitch to hit. But it’s all right. I moved on, just kept my breathing, stayed composed, and had some fun up there.”
The move to add Gasper to the roster was necessary after Jarren Duran was slapped with a two-game suspension from the team on Monday. This stemmed from the use of a homophobic slur towards a fan that was caught by the NESN mics during the sixth inning of Sunday’s loss to the Astros.
With so many negative storylines hanging over the head of the Red Sox, a loss to the Rangers to open the series would have been a back-breaker. Instead, one of the leaders in the Red Sox clubhouse put his team on his back and delivered one of the biggest hits of the season.
“He's a grinder, and he's one of the leaders of the team,” Cora said of the veteran Refsnyder. “He was patient, got a good pitch to hit, and finished it off. We needed to finish the game at that point.”
