Casas proves Red Sox's patience pays off with 2-HR night

BOSTON -- Triston Casas didn’t get discouraged with himself as he struggled through the early weeks of his rookie season. The Red Sox didn’t give up on him either, allowing him to hit himself out of his slump.

Casas is now being rewarded for his perseverance, and the Red Sox are seeing the fruits of their patience.

The left-handed-hitting slugger hit a pair of mammoth homers against potential Hall of Famer Max Scherzer on Saturday night at Fenway Park, lifting Boston to an 8-6 victory over the Mets.

It was part of a five-homer barrage by the Red Sox, four of them coming off Scherzer.

The latter blast by Casas was the big one, a two-run rocket to center with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning that snapped a 3-3 tie.

Casas, who is cerebral, especially for a 23-year-old, asked for time in that pivotal at-bat with a 2-1 count. Then he destroyed the next offering -- a 95.2 mph heater -- at an exit velocity of 107.7 mph and a Statcast-projected distance of 428 feet.

“I took a big swing on the 2-0 fastball that I had been missing,” said Casas. “I missed a couple in the second at-bat, as well. So I tried to regroup, tried to make a little mental adjustment in terms of where I wanted to try to see the ball to hit it as best as I could, because I kept missing that fastball.

“I was seeing other pitches well. So that step out was just to regroup to try to recollect myself, whether it was a bad swing or bad call. It didn't really matter the count -- one strike or two strikes. It was just where I felt the most important pitch was going to come in that at-bat.”

Scherzer will have to wait until next season to get another crack at Casas. It was clear who emerged victorious in their first encounter.

"I left pitches in his wheelhouse,” Scherzer said. “I'd like to face him more. I'd like to get more at-bats against him. But tonight, I left pitches down and in for him to be able to hammer."

The two home runs by Casas traveled an aggregate projected distance of 845 feet, per Statcast.

For Casas, it was a continuation of a hot streak that has propelled him to an impressive in-season turnaround. In his first 183 at-bats of the season, Casas hit .197 with seven homers and 19 RBIs. In his last 88 at-bats, Casas is hitting .341 with seven homers and 16 RBIs.

“I think it's just been a steady progression for sure,” said Casas. “I can't pinpoint exactly when I started to feel more comfortable. But I think as every at-bat has gone on, I’ve felt more and more comfortable at the plate. Things are starting to slow down. I'm starting to get a better awareness of my barrel, trying to get a better feel for my timing, as well.

“So all that comes with repetition and, thankfully, I'm getting the opportunity to fail. So credit to [manager Alex Cora] and the staff for putting me in the lineup and making me comfortable.”

With the victory, the 52-47 Sox moved within two games of the Blue Jays in the chase for the third American League Wild Card spot.

After the Red Sox lost the completion of a suspended game, 5-4, earlier in the day, Jarren Duran helped set a better tone right away in the nightcap, ripping a leadoff homer in the first that clanged off Pesky’s Pole in right.

“I knew [Scherzer] was a really good pitcher. He’s got a track history of being one of the best in the game,” said Duran. “I was trying to get a pitch I could handle, and he made a pitch and I made a good swing on it and I happened to hit Pesky’s Pole.”

Yu Chang was the other player to homer off Scherzer, ripping an equalizing solo shot over the Green Monster in the bottom of the fifth. Justin Turner completed the quintet of homers for the Sox, just clearing the Monster in the seventh.

James Paxton bounced back from a rare shaky outing last week at Wrigley Field, giving the Sox six strong innings (two earned runs, one walk, seven strikeouts) for the win.

But the night belonged to Casas.

“This is the big leagues,” said Cora. “You don’t just come here and dominate. He's a good hitter. You know, like I always said, when you get drafted that high, it's not a coincidence, right? There's talent, and I think this part of it, he gets it more than some of the younger guys. I'm glad that we stayed patient with him, understanding the process, and now we've seen [the results].”