Roman Anthony notches first MLB hit after leaving cursed jersey number behind

Roman Anthony's MLB debut wasn't exactly what Boston Red Sox fans had waited months for. Not only did he go 0-for-4 and make a crucial error in right field before being pinch-hit for in extra innings, but Boston eventually wound up losing an exasperating game to the Tampa Bay Rays.

A night that rough calls for a reset, a way to flush out the bad mojo and turn over a new leaf. Anthony did just that prior to his second start on Tuesday, switching from the No. 48 he'd worn in the Minors last season to No. 19, the number he'd torn up Triple-A with so far this year. And wouldn't you know it, his very first at-bat of the night resulted in a two-RBI double to left field.

Coincidence? Probably. But Red Sox fans are hardly convinced. You see, No. 48 isn't just any old number in Boston baseball history. It just so happens to belong to one of the most infamous Red Sox in recent memory, one whose dark magic may just have been the thing holding Anthony back.

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Red Sox fans think Pablo Sandoval was to blame for Roman Anthony's slow MLB start

Okay, so maybe that's a little far-fetched. But consider that Red Sox fans really, really can't stand Pablo Sandoval, who wore No. 48 during his two-plus miserable seasons in Boston.

Sandoval came to the team on a five-year, $90 million contract, one that almost immediately looked like an albatross as the three-time World Series champion struggled both at the plate and with his conditioning. He posted a dismal .646 OPS over his time with the Red Sox, and as if that weren't bad enough, he even got himself into hot water by hopping on Instagram from the clubhouse in the middle of a game.

It's not the greatest legacy, is what we're saying, and while Anthony was just a kid back then, maybe it's a good thing that he decided to find a different number. Plus, it's not even like he was really attached to No. 48; he told reporters before Tuesday's game that he only wound up with it because of the short notice surrounding his promotion and insertion into Boston's lineup.

"I wore (48) in spring, and wore 19 last year in Triple-A," he told Tokyo Sports Press' Carlos Yamazaki. "And then credit to Tom and those guys, called me this morning and ‘Hey, we're gonna be able to get you 19.’ So I was super thankful for that.”

It also helps that No. 19 has a far more auspicious place in Red Sox lore: Nine-time All-Star Fred Lynn made the number famous in Boston, and he wasted no time giving Anthony his stamp of approval.

Safe to say that, after notching his first big-league hit and RBI, Red Sox fans have seen enough.

Roman Anthony's first MLB hit exorcised weeks of Red Sox frustration

Of course, it also helps that his first hit came in such a crucial spot, and finally snapped what had been a brutal slump for the Red Sox with runners in scoring position. Boston went just 4-for-23 in those spots in their loss on Monday night, the single biggest reason they were unable to pick up a crucial divisional win.

Anthony was called up to give this lineup another shot in the arm, and to patch the hole left by Wilyer Abreu's transition to the IL. The fact that he's already taking such professional at-bats — staying on a Ryan Pepiot changeup before driving it the other way — and doing so in clutch spots would seem to bode very, very well for his ability to adapt to Majors.

Of course, no jersey number will help you hit against the best pitchers on planet Earth, and Anthony will have to continue to adapt as pitchers learn how to find and exploit his weaknesses. But Boston's offense had been undone by too many uncompetitive at-bats from below-average hitters in important situations, and Anthony already looks like a significant upgrade there that could be a real force multiplier.