Browne Newsletter: These 2 stars have immediate chemistry

It is still to be determined how many years Trevor Story and Xander Bogaerts will be teammates. Story recently signed a six-year contract with the Red Sox. Bogaerts, Boston’s veteran leader, has an opt-out after this season. But one thing is becoming clear: They are going to be fun to watch together in ’22.

The most emphatic example of this came in the game against the Twins on April 16. Gio Urshela hit one up the middle and Bogaerts ranged toward the bag to make the play. He did so in spectacular fashion, shoveling it out of his glove to Story to start the double play.

While Bogaerts didn’t bother using his hand to throw the ball, Story declined the opportunity to use his glove to catch it. Instead, the veteran shortstop who is now a second baseman, barehanded the feed and fired to first to complete the 6-4-3 DP as the Fenway crowd roared with approval.

“That was good,” said Bogaerts. “He caught it barehand. I was like, ‘Whoa.’ He’s an athlete.”

Considering the two veterans are still getting to know each other, it is impressive to see them developing such quick chemistry.

“We’ve just been practicing a lot, trying to get familiar with angles and stuff like that,” said Story. “Just kind of happened. It was in the flow of the game, so it was fun.”

WONG GETS A CHANCE

While this isn’t the way he would have wished for it to happen, catcher Connor Wong got a chance for a couple of games this week to try to prove to the Red Sox that he can be a significant part of the team’s future.

When Kevin Plawecki and Christian Vázquez tested positive for COVID-19 within 24 hours of each other on Monday and Tuesday, Boston’s catching depth was depleted for the short term.

That gave Wong the chance to start on Tuesday and Wednesday night against the Blue Jays. Vázquez was reinstated to the roster prior to Wednesday’s game, which means Wong might not get another start on this stint on the roster. The team is optimistic Plawecki will also make a quick recovery.

Wong is someone the Red Sox were excited about when they acquired him along with Alex Verdugo and Jeter Downs in the deal that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in February of 2020.

It should be noted that Vázquez, the starting catcher for the Red Sox since 2017, and Plawecki, a respected backup for the club the last three seasons, are both eligible for free agency at the end of ’22.

Will Wong be ready to take over at least part of the club’s catching duties for ’23 and beyond? The next few days bear watching.

“I think it’s a good opportunity, but like I said, the main objective is just to win as many games as we can and while I’m here, that’s what I’m going to do,” Wong said. “So if I perform well, and we win, it’s even better.”

Thus far, it has been challenging for the Red Sox to get a firm read on who Wong can be. Of course, 2020 was a lost year for all Minor Leaguers, as they didn’t have a season due to the pandemic.

And due to the threat of COVID last season, Wong was most often on the taxi squad in Boston, robbing him of development time at Triple-A. Wong also missed the first month of ’21 with a hamstring injury.

In 50 games for Worcester last season, Wong had 199 at-bats, slashing .256/.288/.442 with eight homers, 26 RBIs and seven stolen bases.

“He’s a good defender. Something about him, he’s very calm. He doesn’t panic out there. His swing plays. He has some pop,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

Wong held his own in his start on Tuesday night, hitting the game-winning sacrifice fly and handling the pitching staff well against a top offensive club in Toronto for a 2-1 win.

This stint, however brief, could give the Red Sox something to think about going forward.

TRIVIA

How many no-hitters do the Red Sox have in their history?

A. 4

B. 7

C. 12

D. 18

THREE AND OUT WITH MATT STRAHM

Each week in the newsletter, we will ask three questions to someone affiliated with the Red Sox. This week’s subject is Matt Strahm, the long-haired lefty reliever who has come through big-time in the early weeks of the season.

I heard on the Red Sox’s broadcast the other day that you’re the first person in team history to be born in North Dakota. What was it like growing up there, in terms of baseball?

It was definitely a short season up there, for sure. Most of my baseball was summer ball with legion and school ball, that started late. Never really got the full schedule in, but there’s a lot of indoor stuff up there. I’m a baseball card guy and on the back of my rookie card, it says I’m the 14th North Dakota-born MLB player. I would say right now, you’ve got four guys including me who are on a roster from North Dakota. It speaks volumes of the work we put into this game to come out of there and succeed at such a high level.

We have to talk about the hair. Unofficially, you have the longest hair of anyone who has played for the Red Sox. That’s impressive if you go back and look at video of Johnny Damon from 2004. How did this come about?

I’ve been growing it out ever since I got traded to San Diego in 2017. The day I blew my knee out in Kansas City, that morning I got a haircut and then that night, I blew my knee out. It’s not a superstition of, oh, I don’t want to blow my knee out again, but my brother’s always had long hair and he’d always dare me to grow it out. Then in ’17, I was on crutches for like 14 weeks, so sitting down in a barber’s chair wasn’t really an option. I kind of got through the awkward stage of not having to go anywhere, do anything that offseason and just let it go from there. I get it trimmed, like, every six months. Whenever it’s annoying me, I’ll go get a little trim, but that’s about it.

You have your own YouTube channel. When did that start and what was the thinking behind it?

It started in 2020 when the fans weren’t allowed to come to the stadium anymore. I enjoy the interactions I’ve had with many fans down the line, signing autographs. My brother got me back into collecting baseball cards at the end of 2018, around 2019. Everything I do is kind of off the seat of my pants, so that’s what this is. I think I’ve got 7,000 subscribers on me who are watching me open packs in stadiums. It’s a fun community to be a part of and it’s a great hobby.

THIS WEEK IN ’07

Throughout the season, we’ll take a 15-year look back at the most underrated of Boston’s four World Series championships this century.

April 22: Back-to-back-to-back-to-back jacks

When Manny Ramirez stepped to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the third inning of Sunday Night Baseball against a lefty named Chase Wright, who was making his second MLB start for the Yankees, nobody could have known what was about to happen. Ramirez clocked one over everything in left.

The party was just getting started. J.D. Drew was up next and he put one into the bleachers. Then it was Mike Lowell with a towering drive over the Monster. “That one’s headed for New Hampshire!” bellowed  announcer Jon Miller. Jason Varitek completed the quartet of back-to-back-to-back-to-back moonshots. The Red Sox needed all of them in a 7-6 win. Wright never started another game in the Majors. It is one of 10 times in Major League history a team has hit four straight home runs.

TRIVIA ANSWER

D. 18

The last one was by Jon Lester on May 19, 2008. The Sox actually had four of them in a span of eight seasons (2001-08), all caught by Varitek.

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