Rich Hill is looking to make history
After the Red Sox' 4-1 win over the Astros Wednesday afternoon, Ceddanne Rafaela proclaimed to reporters, "We can compete with the best teams in the game. To me, we are one."
The Red Sox can rightfully still stake claim to this reality. But that is only because of these last two wins and one very memorable out.
As for the victories, taking two of three against the Astros finished off the Sox' road trip in Baltimore and Houston with Alex Cora's club going 4-3, allowing it to remain within striking distance (3 1/2 games back) of the Royals and Twins.
Once again, it was another example of the Red Sox' resilience and refusal to drift off to a place it certainly looked like they were headed after Monday night's loss.
And all of it was put on display during what has to be considered the most important of this season, to date.
Bottom of the seventh inning. Two outs. Red Sox ahead by a pair of runs. Bases loaded. Brennan Bernardino. And one of the most feared hitters in baseball, Yordan Alvarez, at the plate.
There were no easy answers when approaching this situation for Cora considering how Alvarez pummeled both right-handed and left-handed pitching. The textbook move would be to bring in a southpaw to face the lefty hitter, but the Astros' slugger was actually even better vs. lefties, hitting .368 with a 1.016 OPS vs. that sort of hurler.
But, for Cora, it was more than just deferring to a lefty-on-lefty matchup. It was also mentality.
Bernardino - the only lefty in the Red Sox' bullpen - has shown a propensity to not back down in the biggest moments. It's an approach he explained earlier this season after excelling in a big spot against the Orioles.
"Being 20 years old me and my wife having our child, trying to make ends meet and still chasing our dreams. Making the relationship work. Being a good father. That was the biggest pressure moment," he said at the time.
Bernardino added, ""It’s awesome and a fun moment and all that stuff, but it’s tough to put food on the table and stuff like that. This situation I’m in now is way better than it was. I have been evicted and all that stuff. What is this compared to that.
"I was playing Fall League before friend came to take to the field the cops came and kicked me out (of his apartment) in 2017. Those are the bigger pressure moments."
In this case, the aggression came in the form two sinkers for strikes, followed by a sweeper which Alvarez flailed at to end the threat and the inning.
Considering the hitter, the moment and the stakes, it was a moment that shouldn't be forgotten.
This was a batter who was hitting .533 with a 1.388 OPS against left-handers this month, with the fourth-best OPS in all of baseball through August. There was arguably no hitter in the American League the Red Sox wanted up there less than Alvarez.
The moment was one which undeniably was the biggest of the game, with the Sox clinging to their two-run lead but doing so with a depleted bullpen that wasn't built for any more extra innings.
The stakes were the very real prospect of returning to Fenway Park to face the Diamondbacks living life 4 1/2 games behind both the Royals and Twins, potentially representing the Sox most uncomfortable existence in some time.
But Bernardino once again offered an image of what the Red Sox had become. They have been able to stare down and succeed against the big league's big boys because, as we sit here, they are part of that club, themselves.