Pablo Sandoval hits huge homer for Red Sox (Video)

A leaner, meaner Pablo Sandoval gave the Red Sox the lead with a big home run against the Tigers.

In the early days of his third season in Boston, Pablo Sandoval was still looking for his signature moment with the Red Sox. And if you’re asking, no, breaking his belt with his voluminous stomach while swinging and missing last season does not count. On Friday afternoon, as the Red Sox battled the Detroit Tigers, Sandoval came through to deliver his biggest hit since signing as a free agent.

With the Red Sox down two runs with two outs in the eighth, Sandoval dug in against Tigers closer Francisco Rodriguez who was trying to nail down a four-out save. K-Rod quickly got ahead 0-2 and then tried to sneak an elevated fastball past Sandoval. That may have worked in past years, but Rodriguez’s fastball is sitting below 90 these days.

Sandoval got his bat through the zone and hit the pitch out the opposite way to left field, giving the Red Sox a one-run lead that would prove to be short lived. The Tigers have come storming back to retake the lead in the bottom of the frame.

Sandoval was an embarrassment to himself and the Red Sox last season, but he showed up to camp in phenomenal shape. He has already driven in four runs on the young season. For Boston to reach their true potential as a team, Sandoval must be much closer to the player who hit .294/.346/.465 in seven seasons with the Giants.

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It remains to be seen how well Sandoval can hold up over the course of a full season after missing most of 2016. Boston needs a bounceback season, and the early returns this year look promising. The first two years and $35 million of Sandoval’s time in Boston were a waste, but he still has time to make good on the Red Sox investment and turn his career around.