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BOSTON — There may have been more predictable heroes for the Red Sox’ 14th straight victory Monday night.
If Willson Contreras had been the one to swat the game-winning homer in the eighth, that would have made perfect sense. Given how hot he’s been of late, Wilyer Abreu would have represented another logical choice.
But there was no more fitting man to be at the plate than Caleb Durbin.
When the Red Sox stumbled through the first three months of the season, nobody was more off his game than Durbin, who didn’t get above the Mendoza line until almost mid-June.
As the Red Sox sank to the bottom of the division, Durbin was the face of their struggles. The team couldn’t get out of its own way, and for a long time, neither could Durbin.
But together, Durbin and the Red Sox have executed remarkable turnarounds. Maybe it’s mere coincidence, but when Durbin started to figure things out, so did the Sox.
That’s why it was so fitting that, with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, with the Red Sox knotted with the Baltimore Orioles 5-5, it was Durbin at the plate, playing the hero.
Durbin took a 1-and-0 cutter a the top of the strike zone and drilled it into the Monster Seats to snap the tie and send the Red Sox to their 14th consecutive win and Fenway into a frenzy.
“There’s not a lot of times that I black out, like they say,” said a beaming Durbin. “I think that was one of the moments where I didn’t know what was happening. I was just going with it. I couldn’t tell what I looked like running around the bases.”
A sold-out crowd erupted in celebration and the home dugout descended into joyful chaos.
Hitters like to say that they’re never trying to hit a home run, but Monday night, the situation practically screamed for it: tie game, two down, bases empty, bottom of the eighth.
Durbin wasn’t trying to kid anyone.
“Late in the game, two outs especially, trying to get on second base at the very least,” he recounted, “trying to do some damage. If there’s a spot to let it eat, it’s there.”
Those kind of heroics would have been unthinkable more than a month ago. Durbin was trying to rediscover his swing, benched as manager Chad Tracy mixed-and-matched at third base.
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A night like Monday would have felt far, far away — both for the player and the team as a whole.
“We were digging, grinding there early on,” said Durbin. “But you keep going, knowing that there’s opportunities and moments like this ahead. And there’s going to be plenty more.”
Not long ago, Durbin was not only fighting to maintain his roster spot; he was consumed by guilt. If he had come up with a handful of big hits, then the Red Sox would have begun their reawakening sooner.
“The most frustrating thing for me was, in the beginning, I knew that wasn’t me,” he said of his low point. “We were close (to breaking through) as a team and I felt like if I could turn things around, it would make a big difference. That was weighing on me heavy, because it’s tough when you’re going through it and you’re not winning. You want to be there for the guys and help the team.
“That added extra motivation to get right, and I’m glad I was able to and it’s been a fun ride so far.”
Ever the optimist, Durbin is glad he endured his challenges and came through the other side.
“It’s a great learning experience,” he said. “Any time you go through (something like that), you’ve got to learn from it. That was one I’m definitely going to learn from.”
“I’m proud of him,” said Contreras. “He knows that. It’s not easy to start the way he started and turn around his season like that....I’ve been there. It’s amazing. I’m really proud of him, the way he’s handled himself, the work he’s put in, the adjustments he’s made at the plate.”
When Durbin connected off Baltimore reliever Tyler Wells, Contreras immediately thought of the World Baseball Classic and Team Venezuela earlier this spring.
“That was my flashback,” said Contreras, his face lighting up. “When (Abreu) hit that homer against Japan....I got excited. The emotions were high. (Durbin) was like 0-for-3 during the game, but the most important thing is to keep your mind clear and keep your head in a good spot, because you never know where the biggest at-bat of the night is going to take you.”
Caleb Durbin can appreciate that more than most. In April, May and most of June, he couldn’t possibly have foreseen where he would end up on a night in late July, clinching yet another win for the hottest team in the game.
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