BOSTON — Ceddanne Rafaela made yet another Superman catch in the sixth inning with a runner at second base and one out Saturday.
The Red Sox rookie sprinted to his left and fully extended in the air to rob Wenceel Pére whose 305-foot, 95.3-mph liner had a .720 expected batting average.
Rafaela’s grab had just a 5% catch probability. The Red Sox won 6-3 over the Tigers here at Fenway Park.
“It changed the game right there,” manager Alex Cora said. “He’s elite in center.”
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Rafaela’s catch was a game-changer. He stood and fired to second base to double off the runner (Matt Vierling). It ended the inning and kept the Red Sox ahead 3-1. Boston then scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 5-1 lead.
“Everything that they hit in the air and stays in the ballpark, I believe our fielders are going to catch it,” Cora said.
As MLB.com’s Ian Browne pointed out, only nine such plays with a 5% catch probability or less have happened in MLB this season.
Rafaela started 24 games at shortstop after Trevor Story’s season-ending shoulder injury. But David Hamilton has played well recently — going 17-for-51 (.333) in May — allowing Cora to start Hamilton every day at shortstop and move Rafaela back to center field.
“Now that everything has settled down and Hammy has been able to slow down the game, he (Rafaela) is elite. He’s a game-changer,” Cora said. “That’s the reason he made the team. It wasn’t the offense. It was his defense, something we were lacking last year. And this year, it’s different. It’s a lot different.”
