Christian Arroyo had a memorable moment Friday night when the Red Sox midfielder lost a Joey Gallo balloon in the light of Fenway Park during the 12-5 loss to the Yankees, who went on to roll over the AL East . That bug (and the rest of the game, really) contributed to the Yankees expanding their division resulting in a crazy 15.5 games
With two runners-up in the third round, Gallo launched a balloon into the right area of the penalty area – for all reasons, a ball that should have been guaranteed for Arroyo to catch (MLB Statcast gives odds 1% is on target). That is, until the ball is lost in the light. Arroyo panicked, frantically gesturing with his wide arms and wider eyes that he couldn’t see where it had gone, gesturing wildly as he searched the air.
It bounced onto the ground behind him as he ran after it. Both top runners scored, but Arroyo’s quick throw prevented Gallo from getting the park home run he was about to take.
Arroyo is relatively new to the outfield, having spent most of his career in second or third place.
Another twist in the story is that Gallo – a player with three real outcomes – has only with stand Up TWO sac flies his entire career after taking part in major tournaments since 2015. This would be his third, if the ball hadn’t been lost in the blinding light. It’s just a crazy stat – was there some sort of reverse curse he had placed on him?
And, as expected, Twitter jumped on this one. They never miss an opportunity, right?
The Red Sox dropped to 45-39, placing third in the AL East, while the Yankees improved to a MLB best 61-23 record. The teams are halfway through a four-game series in Boston, and the Yankees have their first two wins.
