During Game 5 of the ALCS, third baseman Rafael Devers thwacked a hit that broke his bat in half — then a lucky Red Sox fan caught it perfectly.
The Red Sox remained scoreless in the second inning when third baseman Rafael Devers came up to bat. Fueled with the vengeance of having to play post-Laz Diaz fiasco, Devers drove a hit that literally broke his bat in half.
Devers held the base of the bat while one half went flying into the stands, where a lucky Red Sox fan caught the piece of Fenway history and proceeded to hold it up like Braveheart.
“Oh wow…” announcer Joe Buck said as he watched the bat sail into the waiting hand of the exuberant fan.
“How good is that?” fellow announcer John Smoltz replied.
“That is amazing,” Buck surmised, calling the fan “the hero of the second inning.”
On Twitter, Red Sox fans reacted to the incredible bat-breaking moment.
WHO IS THIS MVP?! I have to meet the @RedSox fan who just caught the broken bat! @NBC10Boston pic.twitter.com/lhliDrOUuX
— Abbey Niezgoda NBC10 Boston (@AbbeyNBCBoston) October 20, 2021
Red Sox fan just caught Raffy’s broken bat helicoptering towards him with one hand. Boston built different.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) October 20, 2021
That Red Sox fan catching a broken bat at Fenway. Hero.
— Nick Lee (@NickLee51) October 20, 2021
Lucky Red Sox fan caught broken bat from Rafael Devers
The fortunate fan turns out to be 41-year-old Matt Ferrera of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Ferrera is at the game with his Aunt Carmen, who gave him his perfectly-placed seat for tonight’s game.
Here is Matt Ferrera, 41, of Plymouth with his aunt Carmen, who got them the seats, and the splinter of Rafael Devers’ bat that he snagged out of the air.
— Hannah Keyser (@HannahRKeyser) October 20, 2021
“I just saw the bat coming and I was like ‘I got to grab that thing.’”
He says his life did not flash before his eyes. pic.twitter.com/vushNap1qW
“I just saw the bat coming and I was like ‘I got to grab that thing,'” Ferrera told Hannah Keyser of Yahoo Sports.
Despite the fan’s luck, the Red Sox have not been as fortunate during the first half of the critical game. Devers’ best efforts didn’t result in a run.