When the Red Sox last started the season with an extended west coast road trip in 2019, things didn’t go well. The defending World Series champions faceplanted out of the gate, and by the time the Red Sox returned to Fenway Park they were 3-8 and tied for last in the AL East.
That Red Sox club was expected to contend and wound up being a huge disappointment. So far this year’s group, nobody’s idea of a preseason playoff favorite, has been their polar opposite.
The Red Sox wrapped up their season-opening 10-game road trip with a 12-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels, clinching the series and finishing their west coast swing 7-3. Widely projected as a last-place team, Boston now returns for Tuesday’s home opener only a game out of first place.
“It was a great road trip,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Coming into the season we recognized how challenging it is to come to the west coast right away. The organization did everything possible to put these guys in a situation where they were going to be fresh and ready to go, and credit to them, they did an outstanding job.”
Much like Friday night, the Red Sox treated the crowd at Angel Stadium to a home run derby, crushing four bombs over the course of the afternoon. The big swing came courtesy of Reese McGuire, who hit a three-run home run in the top of the sixth that effectively put the game out of reach, and he finished 2 for 4 with a walk and a career-high five RBI.
Following his three-run homer McGuire added an RBI groundout in the eighth and an RBI single in the top of the ninth. The latter capped off a four-run rally, which prompted the Angels to wave the white flag and use first baseman Miguel Sano as a pitcher.
McGuire has quietly been one of the stories of the season for the Red Sox. Expected to be the backup catcher, McGuire has started six of Boston’s 10 games so far and is batting .333 with two homers, eight RBI and a 1.010 OPS. He’s already doubled his home run total from last year, when he hit just one in 72 games.
“I think it’s just mindset and approach, I put a lot of work in the offseason and got down to spring training in early January, which is earlier for me than ever,” McGuire told NESN’s Jahmai Webster following the game. “I like where my swing is at and I’ve been working a lot with (hitting coach Pete Fatse) and down in the cages, so putting in the work.”
Rookie David Hamilton, starting at shortstop in place of the injured Trevor Story, hit his first career big league home run in his first at-bat in the top of the second. Rafael Devers and Tyler O’Neill went back-to-back almost immediately afterwards, and all three home runs in the inning were solo shots.
O’Neill’s hot start now ranks among the best in club history by a new arrival. According to the Red Sox, O’Neill is the first player in franchise history to record at least five home runs and five walks in their first nine games with the club. He is now batting .357 with an eye-popping 1.407 OPS, both of which rank among the best in the American League.
While the lineup was doing its thing, Tanner Houck delivered another excellent performance. The right-hander threw six scoreless innings for the second consecutive start to open the season, this time striking out seven while allowing four hits and two walks.
“That was great. He threw strikes, he moved the ball around, he made pitches and he’s in a good spot right now,” Cora said of Houck. “We needed him to go deeper than five, and he did that.”
Chase Anderson came on in relief and recorded his second three-inning save of the season. He allowed a solo home run to Mike Trout in the bottom of the eighth and a run on a wild pitch in the ninth, but otherwise took care of business to finish the series strong.
Triston Casas went 2 for 5 with a run scored, O’Neill went 1 for 3 with the solo home run, a walk and three runs scored, and Hamilton went 2 for 4 with the solo home run. Including his five games at Triple-A, Hamilton now has three home runs through the first week and a half of the season.
In addition to McGuire’s RBI single, the Red Sox also got a bases-loaded walk by Enmanuel Valdez and a two-run single by Ceddanne Rafaela in the ninth to round out the scoring.
The Red Sox will now have an off-day Monday before holding their home opener at Fenway Park at 2:10 p.m. on Tuesday. Boston will host the Baltimore Orioles for a three-game series, which will kick off a 10-game homestand that also includes series against the Angels and Cleveland Guardians.
