For most of the last decade, two things have been almost universally true:
The Tampa Bay Rays are relentless, and the Boston Red Sox fall apart against them, especially at Tropicana Field; entering Monday’s series opener, the Red Sox were 26-49 against the Rays since the start of 2019, their most losses against any club during that span. They also arrived with a 13-game losing streak at the American League’s southernmost ballpark.
But that was then; this is the Triston Casas era.
On Monday afternoon, the 23-year-old rookie again put his team on his back, going 2-for-4 with a go-ahead home run, two runs, and four RBI in the Red Sox’s 7-3 come-from-behind victory.
“It was a good overall game,” the always-modest Casas told NESN’s Jahmai Webster.
Boston’s 72nd win of the season was a true team effort, but early on, it looked like this would be just another notch in their losing streak at the Trop. While Rays starter Aaron Civale mowed down the visiting lineup, Brayan Bello faced six batters in the bottom of the first inning and put Boston in an immediate 3-0 hole.
Civale was perfect through the first three frames and struck out six of the first eight batters he faced. Finally, he issued back-to-back 1-out walks to Rafael Devers and Justin Turner in the fourth, and Adam Duvall celebrated his 35th birthday by singling to score Devers. Not since Carl Yastrzemski turned 44 on August 22, 1983 had a Red Sox player driven in a run on their birthday when turning 35 or older.
Civale was able to pitch his way out of the fourth inning without incurring further damage. He struck out Masataka Yoshida to strand two Red Sox runners, and got right back down to business with three consecutive strikeouts in the fifth. By the time he departed with one out in the sixth, he’d made it a career outing; his 10th strikeout of the contest set a new single-game season-high, his 11th matched his career-high, and his 12th set a new benchmark.
“He really had his really good stuff today. I battled with him my first two at-bats,” Casas said, “But even when we were down 3-1, I liked where we were at in the game. We were getting his pitch count up, we were taking him deep into at-bats.”
“I felt like if we got into their bullpen, it would help us, not only this game, but for the rest of the games,” he added.
Indeed, things unraveled quickly for the Rays in the top of the sixth, when Wilyer Abreu led off the inning with a ground-rule double. Civale struck out Devers, then walked Turner for the second time, prompting Rays manager Kevin Cash to go to his bullpen.
Casas turned on Chris Devenski’s second pitch, sending the 81.6 mph changeup 419 feet to center for his 23rd home run of the year and his team’s first lead of the game.
“He has a really unorthodox delivery. I know his changeup is elite, and it has a lot of fade, which, I felt like they were trying to get me to ground into a double play in that at-bat,” Casas explained. “It went pretty far, and gave us the lead, and we didn’t look back.”
The Red Sox were still clinging to that slim 4-3 advantage in the top of the eighth when their corner infielders came through once again. After leading off with his second walk of the game, Devers got aggressive: he stole second and advanced to third on Turner’s lineout, so when Casas singled to center, the third baseman scored easily. Fittingly, he’s the first Red Sox player 23 or younger to homer and drive in at least 4 RBI in a game since Devers on August 18, 2019.
Moments later, the Red Sox could breathe significantly easier, as Masataka Yoshida’s second home run in as many games put them ahead 7-3.
“I was just trying to lift the ball over the infielders, not trying to do too much,” Casas explained, “I’m really happy with how that inning unfolded, especially with Masa coming through.”
Meanwhile, Bello hadn’t let that shaky first inning rattle him; he sat the Rays down 1-2-3 in each of the subsequent four frames, then worked around a leadoff double and walk in the sixth, stranding both baserunners to finish out his day.
“He kept his composure, kept making pitches,” Alex Cora lauded to reporters. “He’s in a good place, he keeps getting better.”
“Tip my cap to Bello,” Casas said. “Getting us through six, that was huge, and then, you know, that three-headed, four-headed monster, down there in the bullpen, took care of it.”
On Monday afternoon, the “monster” was Josh Winckowski, Chris Martin, and Kenley Jansen, and they ensured that the Rays wouldn’t score for the rest of the day. The trio combined for three perfect innings, including a pair of strikeouts apiece for Winckowski and Martin. For the second day in a row, Jansen entered in a non-save situation and slammed the door.
Casas has come up clutch too many times to count, but Monday was especially meaningful: One year to the day of his Major League debut.
“I actually thought about it earlier today,” the rookie admitted. “I got a little emotional with myself, just behind closed doors, thinking about this last year. Everything that’s unfolded, the strides that I’ve made as a person, as a player, it’s been a really incredible ride.”
Then, as usual, Casas made his big day bigger than himself.
“I couldn’t have done it without the help of everybody in those four walls, in my clubhouse,” he said. “I think we’re all pulling on the same side of the rope, we’re gonna end the year on a high note.”