From the beginning, everyone had waited for the signature game, the one in which Trevor Story announced himself to Boston.
Some thought it might have happened on May 4 when he belted two doubles against the Angels. Others thought his first homer in a Boston uniform, a little more than a week ago in Atlanta, might have done the trick.
But each time Story produced something of note in a game, he followed it by continuing to struggle at the plate.
Not for the first time, Story looked like someone who was trying very hard to justify a big, new contract. And like so many others before him, the harder Story tried to make his mark, the bigger hole he dug for himself.
But if Thursday's power display doesn't do the trick for Story, perhaps nothing will. Story cranked three homers, knocked in seven runs, reached base five times and scored every time, and stole a base. It was a tour de force for a player who, for much of the season, had looked lost and uncertain.
"Just a special night,'' said Story after he had helped to erase an early 4-0 deficit with a 12-6 victory, "one I'll never forget.''
In all likelihood, Story would prefer to forget all the games that came before this one -- the countless times he popped a ball up to the right side of the infield or swung through a pitch for another strikeout.
The brutal start has weighed on him, and he's mostly responded with hard work and a stoic disposition. There were no excuses, because when you get paid $140 million over six years, people don't want to hear them -- not that Story is the rationalizing sort.
He could have noted that, in an already shortened spring training, he signed late and had an even shorter ramp-up for the regular season, in part because he traveled back to Texas not long after arriving for the birth of his first child. He could have mentioned that, exactly two games into his Red Sox career, he suffered a case of food poisoning, setting him back even further.
He mentioned none of these things. He did not hide. Even when some accused him of ducking the media following a particularly rough four-strikeout game -- the very next night after he had enjoyed his two-double game -- Story, who had gone into the indoor batting cage behind the Red Sox dugout to take post-game swings, unaware that reporters had requested to speak to him, he stood waiting, in front of his locker the following day.
It's doubtful that Story read or heard himself being compared to Carl Crawford, who to this day stands as the poster child for Players Who Weren't Cut Out for Boston.
Instead, Story worked, then worked some more. He didn't fix things for the longest time, but it wasn't for the lack of work, and his professionalism resonated with his new teammates, who offered their support.
"Baseball is the most challenging sport in the world,'' said Story. "I feel like, on an everyday basis, you're going to be challenged, especially here.''
Especially here.
Indeed, the demands of the Boston market can overwhelm some. Marcus Semien, who signed for more money than Story received, is performing far worse with his team, the Texas Rangers, but his early-season failures are not driving local sports talk radio in the Metroplex. It's the same for Carlos Correa in Minneapolis.
But Boston is more demanding, and yes, generally less forgiving.
Fortunately for Story, he has a manager who understands all of this.
"AC's been great,'' said Story of Alex Cora. "He's such a player's manager, in terms of communication. The door's wide open, you can talk to him about anything, how you're feeling -- good or bad -- and he's got a lot of experience. I'm just happy that he's the guy. He's been great for me.''
Cora has not only managed four seasons here, but also played here from 2005 through 2008. He played on a championship team in 2007, but also on an underachieving team in 2006. He was a regular and then lost his job to a hotshot rookie, Dustin Pedroia.
In other words, he's experienced all that Boston can offer -- good and bad.
"It's huge,'' Story told BostonSportsJournal.com, "because it's a very unique perspective. With his baseball mind and that unique perspective (of having both played and managed here), it's almost too good to be true. He's just been so great. The communication side is second to none. I feel like he's one of a kind in that aspect.
Story said Cora has avoided offering any specific advice, in part because no two players or circumstances are alike. But Cora has made it known that he's there as a resource if Story needs one.
"More than anything, it's about just being there and being positive,'' said Story. "After a good or bad game, he's there, and he's like, 'Keep going, kid. Keep doing your thing.' Things as simple as that, for me, go a long way.''
Just like the homers, which traveled a combined 1,163 feet -- two to left field, one to center -- on the night that Trevor Story finally cleared his throw and announced, in no uncertain terms, his arrival to the Red Sox.