And with one swing of the bat…Daniel Nava became the city of Boston’s newest folk hero.
Sure, his arrival Saturday wasn’t as publicized as Stephen Strasburg’s, as explosive as Jason Heyward’s or as rare as Mike Leake’s…wait, nevermind, yes it was.
In his first Major League at bat Saturday, the Red Sox left fielder send the first pitch he saw from Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton 400-plus feet into the right field seats for a go ahead grand slam.
To put it all in perspective, what Nava did has only happened one other time. In 2006, Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a grand slam on the first pitch thrown his way. Overall, only four players have hit grand slams in their first at-bat.
Nava, the 2007 Golden League MVP, became just the fourth Red Sox player to homer in his first big league at-bat and the second to do so on the first pitch. Bill Lefebvre accomplished the feat June 10, 1938. It was the only home run he would ever hit.
Maybe now the 27 year-old Nava can get the attention of ESPN’s Erin Andrews.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
