Sometimes spite is the greatest motivator in sports. That sure appeared to be the case for Ceddanne Rafaela on Friday night after the Red Sox emerging star was snubbed from the American League All-Star team (despite posting numbers that look an awful lot like All-Star numbers).
No matter — the 24 year-old appeared to use it as fuel and cranked a two-run, walkoff home run over the Green Monster to give the Six their eighth straight win.
Sheesh.
CEDDANNE RAFAELA HITS IT OUT OF FENWAY 😤
— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2025
THE @REDSOX ARE WALK-OFF WINNERS! pic.twitter.com/6LEzWZVQ7E
He's perhaps known most for his elite glove in centerfield, but Rafaela shows often that his 165-pound frame holds some serious pop, too — this was his 13th home run of the year, already closing in on his career-best 15 from 2024.
Dave O'Brien delivers classic call on Ceddanne Rafaela's walkoff home run
Any time an announcer screams the words, "HE KILLED IT," you know the call is a classic. NESN play-by-play man Dave O'Brien seemed to be experiencing the same emotions as every Sox fan who jumped up from their seat in Fenway or from their couch at home when Rafaela made contact with the 1-2 pitch from Drew Fairbanks.
O'Brien gets some flak from Red Sox fans, but this call is about as good as it gets. Credit where it's due!
Red Sox close in on AL East lead
That's a real sentence I am typing in July, 2025. The Sox are now just 4.5 games back of the division lead, currently held by the Toronto Blue Jays. I'd like to see ChatG*T come up with something like that.
The hottest team in baseball heading into All-Star, I doubt Red Sox fans want the time off; they'd rather just keep playing and not let this momentum die down. Alas, the All-Star break is coming, and somehow, Rafaela will not be heading to Atlanta for the festivities.