Red Sox rookie finds redemption with game-winning HR after ‘crazy' calls ruined two days
'It's way better talking right now after this game,' Narváez laughed.
A player who could have been rightly characterized as a goat in the first two games of the series emerged as the savior in Wednesday's 9-8 win, when he launched a two-run, go-ahead homer off Phillies reliever Seth Johnson in the top of the 11th. The Red Sox, coming back from an early 5-0 deficit, escaped Philadelphia with a win, avoiding a sweep against one of the National League's better teams.
Romy Gonzalez's grand slam was dubbed the 'hero moment' in what Gonzalez called a 'signature win.' But Narváez's homer, which barely cleared the left-field wall at Citizens Bank Park, was the difference.
'I'm sure it's a huge moment for him,' said Gonzalez. 'The boys were fired up for him.'
Monday's series opener ended on sudden terms when Edmundo Sosa's swing clipped Narváez's glove with the bases loaded in extra innings and the play was ruled a catcher's interference that handed Philadelphia a walk-off win. Tuesday's sequence, in which Narváez was charged with another interference (and a balk) after he stepped too far in front of home plate with Bryce Harper racing toward a straight steal of home.
Narváez had spent much of the last two nights confused — and in sheer disbelief. He shifted to elation before boarding the team flight back to Boston.
'Everything that happened in the first two days was crazy,' he said. 'Like I said yesterday, you've got to move forward. It's 162 games. It's a long season. We're not going to win every game and we're going to lose crazy ways like we did.
'We've got two months left and a lot of fun baseball coming. We've got to keep doing it.'
Coincidentally, Narváez's blast off Johnson was reviewed, just like the two interference plays were. The umpiring crew ruled that the 100.3 mph, 370-foot blast that left the ballpark in a hurry... actually left it.
'He works hard and (expletive) happens in this game, right? He put good at-bats today, shooting the ball the other way for the double and then got on top of a fastball with two strikes,' Cora said. 'He's having a great season and we trust him.'
Narváez's late heroics were set up by a back-and-forth sequence in the late innings. After Gonzalez's grand slam put the Sox up by a run in the fifth, the usually unflappable Aroldis Chapman was tagged for his first homer since May 7 when J.T. Realmuto tied it in the eighth. Trevor Story and Kyle Schwarber exchanged RBI hits in the 10th, with Greg Weissert unable to close out the game for the Red Sox. Johnson took the loss, in just his seventh big league appearance, as the Red Sox won their first extra-inning road game of 2025 — in their eighth try.
'Narvi had a hell of a game,' said starter Lucas Giolito. 'We've had some troubles in extra innings this year, so for us to score a run, and then they tie it up, we kept on fighting. Narvi with a huge home run, that was massive for us'
Two nights after the Phillies stole a win — and a night after Harper stole a run — manager Alex Cora said his team stole the finale. Narváez was center stage in the heist.
'Baseball's a crazy game,' Gonzalez said. 'Obviously, we saw it the previous two nights with the obstruction call and the stolen base at home plate by Bryce. This game's crazy. The boys put together some great at-bats. We were grinding it out. It was a great, great win tonight.'
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Red Sox reactions: Carlos Narváez the hero in dramatic, back-and-forth win catalyzed by shocking grand slam
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