DENVER — Some of Jackie Bradley Jr.’s teammates pointed up into the sky. Others held their arms aloft in utter disbelief.
They didn’t need a measurement to know his blast went a long, long way.
Boston Red Sox’s Jackie Bradley Jr. watches his solo home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Rico Garcia during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Bradley opened Boston’s three-homer night with a solo shot into the third deck, and the Red Sox beat the Colorado Rockies 10-6 on Tuesday.
The outfielder’s estimated 478-foot drive in the second inning was the seventh-longest this season, according to Statcast. It gives Coors Field four of the top eight homers by projected distance in 2019.
“That was a shot,” starter Rick Porcello said. “I’m telling you — that’s one of the bigger home runs I’ve ever seen.”
David Price stood and just pointed at the arc of the baseball. It was the longest homer by a Red Sox player since Statcast began tracking them in 2015. The previous best was Hanley Ramirez’s 469-foot homer on April 29, 2017.
“It’s funny seeing their expressions and how they reacted,” Bradley said. “It shows they were supporting me. It was fun to see them.”
Christian Vázquez added a two-run homer and Xander Bogaerts contributed a solo shot as the Red Sox ran their long-ball streak to 17 straight games.
Porcello (12-10) threw five solid innings and allowed two runs. He improved to 23-10 in his career against NL teams.
“Didn’t give up a home run, which is tough to do in this place,” Porcello said. “Happy about that. It was good enough for us to get the win.”
Colorado outfielder Sam Hilliard hit a two-run homer in his major league debut. Nolan Arenado added a two-run homer in the ninth for the Rockies, who played their 2,000th regular-season game in Coors Field history. The Rockies have gone 1,099-901 in the regular season since the first game at Coors on April 26, 1995 — a walk-off win over the New York Mets.
Rico Garcia (0-1) struggled with his command in his first big league start. He walked five over five innings and allowed six runs. The right-hander was filling in for German Márquez, who was placed on the injured list Monday with inflammation in his forearm.
TRAINER’S ROOM — Red Sox: Price (wrist injury) threw three innings of a simulated game. He could be in line to start during the next series at the Los Angeles Angels, manager Alex Cora said.
Rockies: Márquez called the decision to put him on the injured list precautionary. “Better for me to rest it,” he said.
FAMILIAR FACE — Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia visited his teammates in the clubhouse before the game. He’s recovering from his latest surgery to his left knee.
“Just being around them for a few days is nice,” Pedroia said.
UP NEXT — Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (15-5, 3.92 ERA) makes his first start at Coors Field on tonight. The Rockies will throw righty Peter Lambert (2-4, 6.40 ERA).
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