Two years, one month, five days and three shoulder surgeries after his last big-league appearance, Marco Hernandez stepped into the box again for the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon in a ninth-inning pinch-hit appearance to a warm reception from the Fenway crowd.
Four pitches later, Hernandez ripped a 1-2 offering from the Rays’ Casey Sadler down the right field line, sliding into second with a double in his first plate appearance since May 3, 2017.
The Dominican infielder was rewarded with some of the day’s biggest applause, one of the lone feel-good moments in an otherwise forgettable 9-2 loss in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
"Awesome,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Everybody knows, I think everybody in the stadium was pulling for him, even their guys. Took a good swing on the first one, good take after that, and to see him running the bases and being able to contribute, that's good. He worked hard to get to this point, and we're very proud of him, and also our training staff, everyone that was involved, kudos to them.
Hernandez earned himself a start in the nightcap, slotting in at second base for Eduardo Nunez, and stepped up in a big way — with Boston up 3-1 with one out and the bases loaded in the sixth, he took a fastball the other way for a double off the Monster to score Michael Chavis and Brock Holt to give the Red Sox some breathing room.
“That was cool,” Cora said. “He put it in play there, went the other way — wasn't thinking big, just put the ball in play the other way and good things are going to happen, and he gets a double. He brought energy to the team, a smile to everybody, he played well. I'm very proud of him, and like I said, the medical staff, too. They did an excellent job the last two years."
It was a storybook return to the diamond for a guy who’s had a difficult two years, spending for more time in the rehab room than the clubhouse.
"I feel pretty good right now,” said Hernandez. “I woke up this morning and I don't expect that I'm going to play today, so as soon as I get here Alex told me, 'hey, you're going to play the second game,' and I said 'okay.' It feels pretty good, and it's a blessing for me to be able to play baseball again, especially here, in front of this crowd."
Cora spoke highly of Hernandez before the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
“I knew about him, but people were very high on him,” Cora said. “The athlete, what he can bring, and the offensive upside. Running and moving the ball around, bunting and hitting the ball the other way. So I heard great things and then saw him play this year so we’re about to find out. I think he brings a dimension that we have, but we add to that. His speed. And sometimes that’s what changes games and gets us going. You guys know how I feel about playing fast, when we do that we’re in good shape and it seems like we haven’t done that in a while.”
Hernandez’ return to the lineup was a bit of a surprise, both to the man himself and his teammates: "As soon as they saw me walking in this morning, everybody was like, 'woah. Is he here?'” Hernandez said. “Everybody loves me here, they know what kind of work ethic I have, and it's been a long road for me, but I finally made it."
A surprise, but a welcome one.
"It's awesome,” said pitcher David Price. “He told me probably right before he starting going on his rehab starts, a month and a half, almost two months ago, that he was going to be a sparkplug for us. It was good to hear him say that, for everything that he's been through, to be able to bounce back and contribute the way that he is, that's awesome. I'm happy for him."