Roman Anthony hit his first career home run for Red Sox
Roman Anthony left the yard for the first time of his Major League career Monday night. The Red Sox prospect hit his first career home run as Boston beat the Mariners, 2-0, in Seattle to begin a nine-game road trip.
Anthony went deep in the top of the first inning off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert. With two outs and the bases empty, Anthony took a 2-2 sinker from the Seattle righty and deposited it 391-feet over the fence at T-Mobile Park to put Boston on top, 1-0.
The ball landed in a tunnel instead of the stands, so Anthony had no problem getting his milestone baseball. He told reporters after the game he plans to give it to his parents, who will probably frame and display the ball.
The swing by the Anthony -- the top prospect in all of baseball -- should bring a smile to the face of Red Sox fans after an interesting 24 hours. Late Sunday night, after the team had completed a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees for its fifth straight win, Boston traded designated hitter Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in a blockbuster move.
The shocking trade took one of the best bats in baseball out of the Boston lineup, which looked a lot different Monday night. Abraham Toro hit second in Devers' old spot in the lineup, while rookie Kristian Campbell was Boston's DH.
Anthony hit third in the order while playing right field in the series opener, and went 1-for-4 at the plate. He had been hitting out of the leadoff spot or No. 5 spot over his first six games in the Majors.
With Devers no longer in the mix, even more pressure will be on Anthony to perform at the plate. The rookie is just 2-for-21 through his first seven games while drawing a pair of walks.
