The Boston Red Sox desperately needed a victory over the Houston Astros, and they finally achieved it on Tuesday night, largely due to a long-awaited home run. Boston took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, which became critical when the Astros quickly evened the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the same inning. The Red Sox managed to secure a tense 6-5 win, and their powerful first baseman’s two-run homer was a much-needed boost for fans across New England.
Triston Casas, back in the lineup on Friday after almost four months on the injured list, smashed a 382-foot home run into the right field bleachers off a hanging slider from Ronel Blanco. This was his first home run since April 19 and provided the Red Sox with two essential runs.
Despite his critical self-assessment upon returning from injury—despite hitting five times in his first three games—Casas admitted that he feels immense pressure because he understands the importance of his role on the team.
“I try to have the at-bats that the Boston Red Sox first baseman would have,” Casas said, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. “I just take pride in that title and I don’t take it for granted. I don’t take it lightly. I come out here and try to prove it every single day that I deserve that spot.”
Since his return, Casas has been impressive, going 7-for-20 with a .435 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage.
When healthy, Casas has consistently been productive for Boston, particularly since the All-Star break of 2023. He ranked fourth in MLB for OPS in the second half of last season and currently boasts an .873 OPS in 2024, which would rank third on the Red Sox if he had enough at-bats to qualify.
Despite fans’ high expectations, the 24-year-old Casas continues to hold himself to the highest standards.
“Getting on base, hitting for power, getting hits, that’s part of the job,” Casas said, per Speier. “You know that those are the requirements for that position. That’s what I want to do for a really long time, and it just takes proving it every day to establish that.”
If Casas delivers more performances like he did on Tuesday night, he could provide the Red Sox with the boost they need to reenter the playoff race. He’ll be hoping that home run is just the beginning of a series of impactful hits leading up to October.
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