Inside the mind of Roman Anthony
NEW YORK - He hasn't ever heard of the iconic musical group Pearl Jam.
There you have it. Roman Anthony is human, after all.
Other than that ... Finding the flaws of this 21-year-old has been no easy task. It's a reality that those in and around Yankee Stadium Thursday night were presented with once again.
"To be honest, he is probably the most mature 21-year-old, baseball-wise, I have ever been around in my life," said Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman. "I’m trying to find out what he does wrong, honestly. We don’t know if he has any vices or anything. He just does everything the right way. The moment is never too big for him. He knows who he is. He knows what he does well. And he sticks with that and he executes."
"It’s incredible," added Red Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito. "There's not much else to say. I mean, he's incredibly mature for his age. His at-bats are extremely professional, and he's doing damage in situations we really need him to. Just taking advantage of mistake pitches, kind of just covering all the bases there."
"This kid he wants to be the best out there," noted Anthony's manager, Alex Cora. "Today we needed everything from him."
They did need Anthony. They have needed Anthony. And, as has been the case for the past two months, the outfielder didn't let his team down.
First, there was the simple opposite field single in the sixth inning, tying the series opener between the Red Sox and Yankees up at 3-3. And then came his 370-foot, two-run homer in the ninth that helped punctuate the visitors' 6-3 win.
The sweet swing. The subtle yet noticeable bat flip. The gliding around the bases and into the Wally head. And the unflappable postgame response (complete with chuckle) when asked about the right field hecklers, he ultimately gifted the home run ball.
Contract or no contract. Reputation or no reputation. This package, delivered during Anthony's first trip to the Bronx, was what introduced the rookie to a whole new wave of admirers.
"A lot more than what I expected," said Anthony when asked about the heckling emanating from the fans in back of him in right field. "But it was good. It was fun."
Anthony's experience and execution wasn't only fun. It was a necessity for the Red Sox.
While some might bask in the novelty that is such a young man accomplishing such eye-opening feats, the Red Sox don't have the luxury of worrying about date of birth. As has been the case really since Rafael Devers left town, they just flat-out need Anthony to be this sort of superstar.
Fortunately for Alex Cora's club, he hasn't shied away from the responsibility.
For example, with runners in scoring position this season, the outfielder is hitting .373 with a 1.012 OPS. And in his last 43 games, Anthony's batting average is .325 with an OPS of .941.
Also, since being put in the batting order's top spot three weeks ago, he has become one of the game's best leadoff hitters, hitting .310 with a .971 OPS in the spot.
In this game, both Anthony and Bregman got to the plate six times each. As everyone found out thanks to that ninth-inning blast, that's not a bad thing.
"Yeah, it's probably what I imagined, and maybe even a little more, but it's exciting," said Anthony when asked about the environment. "For me, I love playing in an atmosphere. I love being booed. I love everything about it. So it's fun."
So while Anthony might not be familiar with Pearl Jam or its frontman Eddie Vedder, it is a line from their song "Guaranteed" that actually was seemingly crafted just for this rookie: "I knew all the rules, but the rules do not know me."
It has all been music to the ears of the Red Sox and a fan base that could beat their chest in the Bronx once again.
"I didn't do that when I was a prospect," Giolito said. "I got called up to the big leagues. I was not nearly ready. I was not mature enough, not emotionally ready. Looking at him, it's like, wow, there's 21 year olds that just can come up and do it at the highest possible level. We're very lucky to have him."