Jul 2, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Emilio Pagan (15) and Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (37) celebrate after defeating the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Terry Francona, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Nick Martinez React to Comeback Win Over Red Sox

Originally posted on Cincinnati Reds on SI
By Greg Kuffner | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 11:11 PM ET

The Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 on Wednesday night behind Christian Encarnacion-Strand's first grand slam of his career.

With the Reds trailing 3-0 in the seventh inning, Encarnacion-Strand hit a towering, 439 foot grand slam to give the Reds a 4-3 lead.

"Oh man, it's an unreal feeling in this ballpark," Encarnacion-Strand said. "I am happy I got to play here."

Reds manager Terry Francona has seen a lot of baseballs fly over the monster, but he was even more impressed by Encarnacion-Strand's home run.

"It was kind of a good feeling because he got that pretty good," Francona said. "I think my funnest moment of the whole night was when Hays tried to get that ball and you look up and Friedl and McLain were surrounding it. To me, that is baseball."

Nick Martinez's line in the box score wasn't anything amazing, but he kept his team in the game and allowed the comeback to happen.

"It was kind of teetering between a great outing and a disastrous one if the guys didn't play great defense behind me," Martinez said. "Encarnion's big grand slam. It was a bit of a grind."

You can watch Francona, Martinez, and Encarnacion-Strand's postgame interviews below: