NEW YORK - An inside-the-park homer is a rarity, to be sure.
An inside-the-park homer by a rookie? Rarer still
An inside-the-park homer by a rookie, in extra innings? Super rare.
Ever hit one before, Blake Swihart was asked, after he made history leading off the top of the tenth inning at Citi Field.
"Nope,'' said Swihart. "Still haven't.''
That's because there was some dispute about the authenticity of his feat.
Swihart drove a pitch to straightaway center off New York Mets reliever Carlos Torres. At first, it seemed as though Swihart's ball struck the top of the fence, before bounding back into medium center.
Boston Red Sox
Mets center field Juan Lagares didn't make a great effort to chase down the ball, and neither did left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, who should have been backing up the play.
Later, it became obvious why: the ball actually struck above the boundary line in center and was, in actuality, a conventional home run - even though it wasn't scored as such.
Swihart, who has excellent speed for a catcher, wasn't taking any chances.
"For one second, I thought it had gotten over because of the way it bounced back,'' said Swihart after the Sox held off the Mets, 6-4. "But I just kept my head down and kept running. I kind of watched (Lagares) him run after it and he was kind of jogging, but I didn't hear anything, so I kept running.''
Interim manager Torey Lovullo, watching from the dugout, thought the ball had cleared the line and was prepared to ask for a replay had Swihart not made it home safely.
As it turned out, that wasn't necessary.
At the time, Swihart wasn't just trying to get the inning started for the Sox, who were in a 3-3 tie with the Mets.
"I was just trying to get a pitch I could handle,'' said Swihart, "and get something going, start the inning.''
Swihart did more than start the inning - he powered the ball to the deepest part of the ballpark for his first homer since June 4, almost two months ago.
"I don't try to hit home runs,'' said Swihart. "I just try to hit the ball hard and get on base. Home runs are going to happen.
Batterymate Henry Owens, who started the game, watched as Swihart, who runs well, circled the bases.
"He was pretty quick around second,'' said Owens. "Once he hit third base, it looked like his legs turned into jello, but he got the job done.''
"I mean, what inning was that?,'' asked Swihart. "I was just going. I had my head down running and I really didn't feel anything until I got to the dugout. I was pretty tired.''