3,310 career professional plate appearances, including 2,741 in Minor League Baseball. That’s how long Troy Johnston had been waiting to collect the biggest home run of his life entering Saturday night’s game at Fenway Park.
Experiencing the iconic park from a player’s perspective for the first time, Troy soaked it all in on Friday—touring the tunnels, signing the wall inside the Green Monster, and of course, taking BP.
That experience parlayed into Saturday night. Against righty Brayan Bello, the lefty Johnston was tabbed the starter at first base. After collecting a single in his first AB, Johnston stepped to the plate in the fifth with two outs. He fell behind 0-2 quickly before taking three very close pitches, forcing a mistake pitch, an 88 mph changeup over the heart of the plate. Johnston turned on the pitch, taking it to right-center field.
There are many ways to “luck” into a homer at Fenway; this 419-foot shot to one of the deeper parts of the park was anything but.
Johnston became the first lefty Marlins batter since Jazz Chisholm Jr. in 2023 to homer at Fenway. Only five total Miami lefties have accomplished that feat. As an added bonus, Johnston got his first home run ball back for free as the fan that caught the blast threw it back moments after receiving it.
Following Johnston in the next frame, slugger Agustín Ramírez attempted to keep Miami’s slim hopes alive with a blast of his own. Behind in the count 2-1, Bello didn’t make a mistake, locating a sweeper on the lower black of the plate. Ramírez made him pay regardless. At 100.9 mph off the bat, Ramírez scaled the Green Monster, giving Miami its second run.
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For Agustín, it was his 18th home run of the season, tying him with Chisholm (2021) for ninth-most home runs by a Marlins rookie. Dan Uggla (2006) owns the team record with 27. There are 39 games left to play this year.
Despite the two rookie blasts, Miami could not undo their early deficit. Against Cal Quantrill, who struggled mightily with overall command particularly with his fastball varieties, the Red Sox forced him into the strike zone and teed off. Quantrill had one 1-2-3 inning, but even within it, he allowed plus exit velocity to two of three batters. Overall, he went 3 ⅔ innings, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and a walk. It was his shortest start since May 24. Since the trade deadline, Quantrill has allowed 15 earned runs in 8 ⅓ innings.
Miami, as they have most of the season, made things interesting late off the bats of Ramírez, Heriberto Hernández and Eric Wagaman who recorded his first triple since May, drawing the tying run to the plate in the ninth. However, Aroldis Chapman stepped in and closed out the series in favor of the Red Sox.
It’s now been two weeks since the last Marlins series win.
The Marlins’ 11-game road trip concludes against the Red Sox Sunday afternoon. They’ll have to do it without All-Star Kyle Stowers, who will be placed on the injured list prior to the game with a Grade 1 left side strain, per manager Clayton McCullough. Recent waiver claim Joey Wiemer is likely to take Stowers’ vacant spot on the active roster. Janson Junk will try to avoid the sweep as he opposes veteran Garrett Crochet.