It's early yet, of course, with 144 games to played over the next five and a half months. But it's difficult -- if not impossible -- to believe that the Red Sox will have a stranger, less conventional win than the one they pulled off Tuesday night.
How strange? How unconventional?
The game featured pitcher Kutter Crawford making an appearance as the automatic runner in the bottom of the 10th inning -- and scoring a key run.
It featured a defensive substitution in the late innings -- with DH Justin Turner taking over at second base -- that resulted in the Red Sox losing use of the DH, and forcing a double-switch that ultimately led to Crawford's presence on second base.
It included -- because of course it did -- the third catcher's interference committed by Red Sox opponents in the last three games.
And it ended, eventually, in a second, delayed on-field celebration after it was determined that Alex Verdugo's game-winning, walkoff single was, indeed, fair. But not before some anxious moments as everything was reviewed on a replay challenge.
"The element of unknown,'' said Verdugo, recounting how the Sox waited for confirmation, "is just not fun.''
The new Fenway light show, designed for these dramatic wins, got two showings -- one initially, when it merely appeared as though the Sox had won, and then again, minutes later, when it was confirmed that they had beaten the Minnesota Twins, 5-4, in 10 innings.
When it was all said and done, it stood as the Red Sox' second walk-off win of the season. The first, which involved a dropped flyball leading directly to a game-winning homer from Adam Duvall, was downright routine compared to this one.
"That,'' said starting pitcher Chris Sale, "was interesting. That's baseball, though. How many times do you hear it? You see something new every day. No matter how long you play this game, there's always something (you haven't seen before).''
This one, though, seemed to have more than its share.
There was the catcher's interference, which took place in the eighth inning as Reese McGuire's bat clipped Christian Vazquez's glove. McGuire managed to make contact on a slow roller to short, and kept running to first. Meanwhile, first baseman Donovan Solano, never touched the first base bag, and the Sox opted to choose that option -- over the catcher's interference -- which also allowed Kiké Hernandez to move not only to second, but to third, too, which the Twins had left uncovered.
From there, Hernandez would score the tying run.
Then, needing to avoid having the pitcher's spot come up in the fateful 10th -- thanks to the Turner move -- the Sox double-switched Crawford into the game as the automatic runner.
"Best athlete (among the pitchers),'' chuckled Alex Cora of his decision-making process. Crawford, too, scored.
But the drama lasted until Verdugo, who already had two hits, came up with runners on first and second and two out. He drove a pitch in the air heading for the Pesky Pole in right and....waited.
"It fooled me, like, three times,'' confessed Verdugo. "It was like, ran, stopped; ran, stopped; ran, stopped. It was like, 'That ball looks really foul.' And then as it came down, it kept slicing, slicing, slicing. So, just lucky.''
The Twins had taken advantage of some wildness on the part of John Schreiber in the top of the inning to score twice and seemingly put themselves in the driver's seat. But the Sox dugout remained confident.
"One hundred percent,'' said Verdugo. "Especially with the rule of having the (automatic) runner on second, you're one swing away, always. You know the tying run's in the box and you have three outs (to do it). We're very confident as a group. It was a little deflating (to have the Twins go up), but once you go back out there, everybody is back on go-time. It's 'control your at-bat' and put a good at-bat up.''
Even then, there was the uncertainty. Cora called team replay coordinator Mike Brenly three times in the home clubhouse to make sure Verdugo's ball landed in fair territory as the umpires waited for word from New York. Three times -- each a little more forcefully -- Brenly assured Cora that his instincts were correct and the Sox were going to be declared winners.
"I didn't know anything,'' confessed Verdugo. "I was waiting for them to show the replay (on the center field screen). The way the ball bounced off the wall, I had an understanding because I play out there, I thought it kicked off the wall (fair). But then you never know. There's been calls where I think, 'That's obviously this.' and then it goes the other way.
"So you never know in that situation. For me, it was very anxious. I was like, 'I don't want to get back in the box, man. I want this to be it.' ''
Eventually, it was.
But Verdugo may well have been summing up the first three weeks of the Red Sox season.
Some uncertainty, some anxiety, and one more completely unpredictable win.