BOSTON — Roman Anthony received his first main league hit, and his household was there — virtually sitting within the dugout.
Anthony, the highest prospect in baseball, was known as up from Triple-A on Monday, a transfer that got here collectively so shortly that his family and friends did not have time to get to Boston from Florida. However his supporters have been within the entrance rows proper subsequent to the house dugout at Fenway Park on Tuesday night time when Anthony lined a two-run double to left within the first inning of a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
“I did not even actually discover that they have been there till I went out for my first at-bat,” Anthony advised reporters, including with fun: “No person actually gave me a heads-up that they have been going to be that shut.”
Anthony mentioned he did not work together along with his household throughout the recreation. However supervisor Alex Cora appeared over from the dugout and noticed the 21-year-old’s mom, Lori, crying.
“Simply to be round and see the grins — and noticed some tears, too. It is fairly cool,” Cora mentioned. “I do know it was a special occasion for the child yesterday, however they weren’t right here. So to have his household now and get his first knock, which means loads.”
Anthony had a while to take footage on the sphere with the touring social gathering of a few dozen folks — father, mom, sister, brother, grandparents, brokers, a pair pals. He went again on the sphere within the darkened ballpark to spend some extra time with them after speaking to reporters.
“That group out there was with me each step of the way in which,” he mentioned. “So simply to see them right here — they needed to miss yesterday sadly, it was sort of fast discover — however to have them right here is particular for positive.”
A day after going hitless with an RBI groundout in his main league debut, Anthony got here up with runners on second and third within the first inning and drove the ball to left to offer the Pink Sox a 2-0 lead.
Anthony, who let a ball roll below his glove for an error in his debut, additionally made a sliding catch on Tuesday night time on Jonathan Aranda’s sinking liner to right-center within the sixth, defending a one-run lead and incomes a salute from pitcher Lucas Giolito.
The second-round draft choose went viral over the weekend when he hit a 497-foot grand slam in Triple-A Worcester. He batted .288 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 58 video games for the WooSox this season.
The Pink Sox mentioned Anthony is the youngest participant in franchise historical past to report three or extra RBI in his first two video games. Anthony is 21 years, 28 days outdated; Jim Rice was 21 years, 164 days outdated when he did it in 1974.
