Trevor Story hit his first grand slam as a member of the Boston Red Sox to a rather fortuitously-placed fan on Friday.
Story launched the grand slam in the second inning of Friday’s game against the Seattle Mariners. The ball made it to the top of the Green Monster at Fenway Park, where former Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes managed to make the grab, though not quite on the fly.
The Red Sox TV broadcast gave Gomes a hard time over the slight bobble, but had a blast with the analysis.
Gomes disputed that the ball ever hit the ground, but did say he’d never actually caught a ball as a fan before.
“As a baseball junkie, as a baseball rat, I’ve literally been begging for that moment since I was 8,” Gomes said, via Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. “It’s a Red Sox homer, a Red Sox grand slam, but at the end of the day it’s a homer inside a museum. It’s a homer inside of a national monument. It’s legendary baseball history here. It’s like no other.”
Gomes initially planned on keeping the ball for himself, but decided to offer to return it to Story. The Red Sox infielder accepted on the condition that Gomes sign it.
“I saw a clip of it and I saw Gomes just going nuts,” Story said. “I just had him sign it for me because first grand slam as a Red Sox. That’s something I thought was pretty special and a cool moment, so I had him sign the other side of it.”
Gomes, now 41, was always better known for his hitting than his defense. He was a fan favorite and key contributor to Boston’s 2013 World Series team, hitting 13 home runs over the course of the regular season. He also played a bit part for the Kansas City Royals’ championship team in 2015, though he’s remembered more for the speech he gave at the victory parade.
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