It took Jhostynxon Garcia almost a week, but he finally has his first hit in The Show.
After going 0-for-5 with two walks and five strikeouts in his first six plate appearances, the Boston Red Sox rookie notched his first Major League hit against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday afternoon. Garcia ripped a leadoff double down the left-field line off Cade Povich to open the fifth inning, snapping out of his career-opening slump with an extra-base hit.
The 22-year-old celebrated at second base with the team’s signature “turbulence” dance. Unfortunately, the Red Sox stranded him there, squandering a chance to help him score his first career run and give Garrett Crochet some extra breathing room.
Fortunately, the missed opportunity didn’t come back to haunt Boston. The Red Sox held on for a 3-2 win, finishing their four-game sweep of the Orioles at Camden Yards. Romy Gonzalez delivered the game-winning hit in the top of the eighth, driving in Roman Anthony for the go-ahead run.
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Steven Matz registered his first save for Boston in the bottom of the ninth, preserving the one-run lead despite allowing a leadoff double to Dylan Carlson. Carlson was immediately thrown out trying to take third base on a fielder’s choice by Trevor Story, who got the scoring started with a solo homer off Povich in the top of the first.
With a man no longer in scoring position, Matz recorded the final two outs without incident, improving his ERA with his new team to 0.79.
The win caps a stellar road trip for the Red Sox, who went 7-1 against Baltimore and the New York Yankees to improve to 75-60. Boston returns home to face the surging Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night at Fenway Park, where NL Cy Young frontrunner Paul Skenes will make his first career start against the Red Sox.
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