Watch Ceddanne Rafaela’s Frustration Before Realizing He Hit Grand Slam originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
On the swing that accounted for all four of the Boston Red Sox runs on Monday night in Sacramento against the A’s, Ceddanne Rafaela thought he’d made an out.
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He was hitting with the bases loaded, and he lofted a fly to left field, and he was ticked off.
Rafaela chucked the bat onto the ground in disgust as he jogged toward first base.
When he finally picked his head up, though, he learned that he had actually left the building.
It was a grand slam for the All-Star, the first of his career.
And it was pivotal, because the Red Sox won on this night, 4-2:
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The A’s are playing in a Triple-A ballpark in Sacramento while they await their final move to Las Vegas, and it’s a stadium that is known to have the ball fly out of it.
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It can be frustrating for pitchers, particularly those on the A’s who have to make their home starts there.
For Rafaela, it’s a place that quickly removed frustration.
He likely thought he missed a homer because his launch angle was 40 degrees. He knew he’d gotten under it just a tad.
The exit velocity was 98.4 miles per hour — maybe enough to get a more optimal launch angle out in most ballparks.
Here, though, even the higher loft on the fly ball wasn’t an obstacle.
Rafaela had a grand slam, and eventually, the Red Sox had a win.
