Valdez’s big game came a day after Rafaela also homered twice for his first career multi-homer game in Boston’s 7-3 victory.
Enmanuel Valdez homered twice for his first career multihomer game and drove in three runs to power the Boston Red Sox past the Detroit Tigers 6-3 on Saturday.
The Red Sox improved to 32-9 — and 17-5 in the past two years — wearing their City Connect uniforms with bright yellow jerseys and powder blue lettering, numbers, and hats since they were introduced in 2021.
Boston center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela made a spectacular full-length diving catch on Wenceel Pérez’s shot in the right-center gap in the sixth and turned it into an inning-ending double play by throwing to second to double up Matt Vierling.
“I feel you can kind of see the reaction by all the guys in the dugout, tipping their caps and stuff,” said winning pitcher Cooper Criswell, when asked about players’ response to the catch. “It’s special. Not too many guys out there are making that play.”
Gio Urshela hit a two-run homer over the Green Monster for Detroit, which lost for the 12th time in its last 14 games against Boston.
“It was a big play. I don’t know if it was a turning point,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Rafaela’s catch. “The ball looked down from every angle except for him. He makes a great play and double off.
