Man, yesterday’s Red Sox-Yankees game had me fired up. Couldn’t sleep thinking about those two big hits everyone was screaming about. Woke up determined to find out who really delivered, not just rely on sports highlights.
Where I Started Looking
First, I grabbed my laptop and opened the MLB app. Straightforward, right? Wrong. Their stats page felt like a mess – all these numbers mashed together, no easy way to see who actually smashed the ball when it mattered most.
The Clutch Situation Chase
I needed hits that changed the game. You know, runners on base, close score, late innings – high pressure stuff. Scrolled through the box score manually, squinting at tiny text. Pitched some coffee across the keyboard (oops) getting frustrated.
- Top of the 8th: Yankees down by one. Bases loaded? Found the play-by-play section like digging for buried treasure. Read each line aloud like a detective.
- Bottom of the 9th: Sox tie it up! Who even got that hit? Had to click three different links just to find the batter’s name. Ridiculous.
Number Crunching Manually
Opened a notepad file like it was 1999. Made two lists: one for Sox, one for Yankees. Wrote down the inning, situation, and hit result every time someone connected.
- Yankees “Big Hit”: Line drive single. Two runs scored. Okay, that counts. Added it to the Yanks list.
- Sox “Moment”: Pop fly that dropped? Scored one run. Felt weak honestly, but kept it.
Then I spotted it – deep in the 7th inning before the drama. A random double by a Sox guy nobody talked about! Bases empty, two outs. He hammered that ball. Way harder contact than the “clutch” hit later. Made a big mental note.
The Raw Power Smackdown
Exit velocity. They kept mentioning it on the broadcast. Where the heck do they show that? Buried in some “Statcast” tab. Clicked it, screen loaded slow as molasses. Finally saw the numbers:
- Yankees “Clutch” Single: 92.1 mph off the bat.
- Sox “Lucky” Bloop Hit: 78.3 mph. Yawn.
- My Random 7th-Inning Sox Guy: 110.6 mph double. Absolute rocket! Why was nobody talking about this?
What Actually Happened
Here’s the kicker – the loudest noise wasn’t when everybody cheered. That monster double in the 7th by the Red Sox guy? Had the highest exit velocity all night, period. The “game-changing” hits? Honestly felt kinda soft.
Biggest hit wasn’t flashy. It was that 7th-inning cannon shot. Nobody chanted his name, but the numbers don’t lie. Makes you wonder what counts as “clutch” sometimes.
