“Batting third for the Boston Red Sox, the catcher” … Connor Wong?
The lone remnant of the infamous Mookie Betts trade is far from your prototypical No. 3 hitter. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, he’s built more like a bottom-of-the-lineup hitter.
But for this Red Sox team, Wong may have emerged as the ideal player to step into the box in a spot once reserved for the best hitter in a lineup.
That was Alex Cora’s thinking, at least, when the Sox skipper penciled his catcher into the three-hole for the opener of a three-game weekend series against St. Louis.
Wong did not disappoint, recording his second four-hit game of the season while driving in a run on an RBI double in the seventh inning. The 4-for-5 day raised his batting average to a blistering .362.
He was again hitting third for Saturday night’s contest against the Cardinals, but the results weren’t as favorable. Wong finished 0 for 4, but is still sporting a team-high average of .349.
Connor Wong amongst AL catchers (100ab)
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) May 18, 2024
.362 AVG (1st)
.389 OBP (2nd)
.552 SLG (2nd)
.941 OPS (2nd) pic.twitter.com/fnaZHgUHzO
Entering Saturday’s game, Wong owned a slash line of .368/.409/.421 in seven career games batting in the three-hole. This season, he’s been even better there, boasting a .438/.444/.500 in four games batting No. 3.
When hitting third or higher, Wong is batting an eye-popping .409 this season. Interestingly enough, when he hits fifth — the spot he’s had been in most this season with 45 plate appearances across 12 games — Wong was hitting a paltry .220 with 10 strikeouts.
No, Wong-Rafael Devers is not exactly a 3-4 that will strike much fear into the hearts of pitchers around the league. But if Wong is going to consistently keep getting on base, it would make sense to keep him ahead of Devers, which was the case in both the Friday and Saturday games.
Devers, meanwhile, is actively lobbying to maintain his status as the team’s top hitter after homering in a fourth straight game Saturday.
Sox nearing basement of AL East
If the AL East were a building, the Red Sox stepped into an elevator near the top floor at the beginning of May and pushed “1.”
With half of May behind us, they’re certainly well on their way to the ground floor…
The Sox fell under .500 for the first time since the season’s opening weekend with Friday’s 10-6 series-opening loss in St. Louis. Another blowout 7-2 loss on Saturday dropped them 9 1/2 games out of first place behind the division-leading New York Yankees, and only two games ahead of last-place Toronto.
“One game out of one hundred (and sixty two), it’s not a big deal,” Cora said postgame Friday. “We’ve got a series here, you win the series and we’ll be over .500.”
That won’t be the case for Cora’s club.
There haven’t been any surprises at the top of the division. New York has been surging, winners of eight of their last 10, while Baltimore is 6-4 in its last 10 and trails the Yanks by two games. Then there’s Tampa Bay, the beneficiaries of a four-game series win against the Red Sox this past week to improve to 6-4 in their previous 10.
Both the Sox and Blue Jays are 3-7 in their last 10. In the AL wild-card hunt, Boston is 2 1/2 back with four teams ahead of them for the league’s final playoff spot.
The good news is the Sox will have a chance to make a dent in the division with six of their next nine games after Sunday coming against Tampa Bay and Baltimore. The bad news, of course, is that the Sox are just 1-6 against AL East opponents this season…
It’s still May, and there are still more games to be played than games already played on the schedule. But it sure is starting to feel like it’s getting late early, isn’t it?
Ortiz keeps giving back
David Ortiz hasn’t played a baseball game in Boston in nearly eight years. Plenty of stars in his position have been content to ride off into the sunset, seldom to be seen again.
But not Big Papi. The legendary Red Sox designated hitter has remained a regular presence around the team and at Fenway Park in the years since, and his latest return might be his most impactful yet.
The Hall of Famer welcomed local youngster Colin Case to the ballpark to watch batting practice during last week’s Tampa Bay series as part of a Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island visit. The 12-year-old from Brockton was the recipient of a kidney transplant last June and continues to receive weekly treatments.
To no one’s surprise, Ortiz went above and beyond, even introducing Colin to the entire Red Sox team. It marked the 41st time Ortiz, who was named the 2023 Wish Hero by Make-A-Wish, has granted a child’s wish through the charity.
On an unforgettable day, 12-year-old Colin had his wish granted of meeting David Ortiz through @MakeAWishMassRI! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/rFQ0dbHtTe
— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 16, 2024
“I am honored to have been part of making Colin's wish come true, and I'm grateful for the efforts of Make-A-Wish in brightening the lives of fighters like Colin and their loved ones,” Big Papi said in a statement. “I am humbled to have been a part of granting dozens of wishes during my time in Boston and bringing moments of pure joy to these kids and families.”
Stories like these are often brushed aside, but Ortiz deserves a tip of the cap and a written standing ovation for making yet another child’s day. I know when I was young, I looked up to my beloved Boston sports heroes like… well, heroes. As I got older, I came to realize that many of these athletes were far from heroes in the true sense of the day. They were everyday human beings, for better… or worse.
Such judgment does not apply to David Ortiz. He is every bit the larger-than-life, superhuman hero he is made out to be. We were fortunate the majority of his playing career took place in a Red Sox uniform, and we’re even more fortunate to still have him with us today.
There are superstar athletes who play in Boston, and then there are Boston superstars. David Ortiz is the peak example of the latter.
Gethin Coolbaugh is a columnist for Boston Sports Journal. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on X/Twitter.