BOSTON -- No one felt worse than Dane Myers during the early going on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park. By game’s end, it would be hard to argue anyone felt better in the Marlins’ 5-3 comeback victory over the Red Sox.
With Miami leading 1-0 with two outs in the fourth inning, Wilyer Abreu lifted a ball to right field, where Myers raced to the warning track, leapt and initially caught the ball. But it would bounce out of his glove and over the wall for a two-run homer when Myers made hard contact with the fence.
A dejected Myers fell to the ground and quickly realized what had happened, staring at his glove and dropping it in disbelief.
“I take pride in trying to make plays for my pitchers and the team ... I don't know if that ball is getting over or not, but to kind of have it in my glove and it go over and cost two runs hurt,” Myers said. “But that's the game of baseball.”
Myers, who has shifted from center to right field since Marlins No. 8 prospect Jakob Marsee’s callup and veteran Derek Hill’s return from the injured list, has one gear – all out. He never shies away from the wall, as evidenced by this game-ending catch during the season’s first road trip.
It’s something that Myers’ teammates know and appreciate about him. Upon his return to the dugout, everyone made a point to console him.
“Coming up to him, he said, ‘My bad and should have got it,’ but at that point I just told him, ‘Just keep doing you. You made a great effort at it. No worries. I'm not mad at you about it or anything,’” said right-hander Janson Junk, who would allow three runs over a career-high-tying seven innings. “It showed more about his character coming to me after a very tough play that would have been a spectacular play, and him just showing that gratitude towards me was great.”
So much about the game of baseball is poetic and beautiful. On Sunday, it was Myers’ shot at redemption five innings later.
Trailing 3-2 in the ninth, Miami wouldn’t need to face closer Aroldis Chapman, who was unavailable in the series finale after being forced to enter Saturday night’s game due to a Marlins rally that fell short.
“It played a big part,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “And it's something that even early in the season, we were celebrating some of those type of victories within a game, that over the course of the season, if you have the opportunity to force the opposition to bring in some leverage arms in a game late where they don't particularly want to, it pays dividends, particularly the next day, or whoever they have to go play next.”
The Marlins capitalized, as Myers led off the frame with a game-tying homer, lining righty Greg Weissert’s hanging slider over the right-center wall. Myers’ sixth home run of the season was his first since July 26. Considering Myers’ luck of late, he wasn’t certain the ball would get out as center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela ran toward it.
After hitting .282/.330/.381 with 12 extra-base hits and 23 RBIs in the first half, Myers entered the series finale with a slash line of .103/.197/.162, two extra-base hits and just three RBIs in the second half. His struggles have meant less playing time as he tries to get his timing right and his body in a good place to hit.
“I got the chance to make up for it, and I'm glad I was able to,” said Myers, whose clutch swing came shortly after fans had chirped at him.
Three batters later, left-handed-hitting Marsee lined the go-ahead two-run homer to right against southpaw Steven Matz’s inside sinker.
Marsee had entered the game in the eighth as a pinch-hitter, singling to open the frame. As the inning unfolded, rookie Liam Hicks would culminate an eight-pitch at-bat with a pinch-hit RBI single through the left side of the infield to trim the deficit to 3-2.
“Honestly, I think that was the first moment I really, like, blacked out after I hit it,” Marsee said. “But, obviously, once I started running, I was like, ‘Let's go.’ I knew we were going to take the lead, and was excited.”
Boston threatened in the ninth with righty Anthony Bender on the mound, but as fate would have it, Myers would catch the game’s final out to clinch the win and avoid a series sweep. Miami wrapped up its rough three-city, 11-game trip (3-8 record) on a high note.
“Not only did we need this win, but I think I needed that hit pretty bad,” Myers said. “It just feels good to get the win and come through for the team.”