After an absolutely abysmal August, Red Sox fans have not had much to look forward too. There was the return of Sale, but that got met with the gut punch of a sweep in New York. Even the most optimistic fans had begun to turn sour. But, Travis Shaw may have just stopped that negative vibe on Monday.
Lefty hitting infielder Travis Shaw returned to the Red Sox earlier this month. This marks his second stint with Boston in his career. His first time around, he was not a key guy for the Red Sox, but he was a bit of a spark plug. It was not uncommon for Shaw to slam a ball out of Fenway. His play even earned him the affectionate nickname; “Mayor of Ding-Dong City,” which was coined by Barstool’s Jared Carrabis.
Shaw was traded to the Brewers before the 2017 season. He would go on to have back to back 30-home run seasons there, but would not produce much after that. Fast forward to 2021, and the Red Sox claim Shaw off of waivers.
At this point, Shaw is nothing more than a depth player. A lefty you pinch hit against a RHP. On paper, fans really should not be too excited over this acquisition. But Shaw simply just helps to bring Sox fans back down to Earth. He almost serves as a reminder of how fun Red Sox baseball is during a time where being a Boston fan could cause health issues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvg-AA2KM5U
Before Monday, Shaw had yet really to make a notable impact. He did have some appearances, but nothing that made jaws drop. That changed though in the series finale at Fenway against the Rangers. With no one out in extra innings and the bases loaded, Shaw had a major opportunity to remind fans way he is the Mayor.
Shaw did exactly that by hitting a grand slam over the bullpens in right field. From the moment the ball made contact with the bat, everyone watching knew it was gone. All Shaw really had to do was hit a deep fly ball to allow at least one runner to score. Instead, he batted in 4 runs.
Just like Shaw himself, on paper this walk-off is very insignificant. In a game that the Red Sox blew a lead, after blowing the division lead, this walk-off should probably be written off. But the reaction from the fans and the team say otherwise. Just looking at Chris Sale‘s reaction alone, the Red Sox needed this.
Chris Sale watching Travis Shaw’s Walk Off Gran Slam may be the greatest thing I’ve seen all year
byu/pantangeli inredsox
Nothing lifts a team’s spirits like a walk-off. Even more so if it was a walk-off grand slam. Travis Shaw helped to remind Red Sox nation just how much fun Boston baseball can be. Sometimes in sports, it just takes one play to turn something around, and Shaw may have just provided that one play.
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