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Watching Josh Reddick grow up into a very smart Red Sox player 08.08.11 at 4:05 am ET
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Sunday night, Josh Reddick proved he has been paying attention to the small details.

When J.D. Drew went down with his shoulder injury, there were those who wondered if Reddick would be able to maintain his offensive pace while playing a dependable right field.

Sunday night, on the biggest stage Reddick has been on to date, the 24-year-old validated the trust the organization put in him by calling him up and slotting him in right field on a semi-regular basis.

How?

It wasn’t just the fact that he put a great swing on a good Phil Hughes curveball, it was his preparation and planning leading up to his game-winning hit in the bottom of the 10th that scored Darnell McDonald with the decisive run in Boston’s 3-2 win over the Yankees.

After Kevin Youkilis flied out to center to open the inning, David Ortiz came to the plate and doubled down the right field line, and Reddick was paying close attention.

“I got a first-pitch curveball over the plate and didn’t really miss it,” Reddick said of his opposite-field single off the base of the Green Monster that scored the winning run. “I watched the way he pitched Papi and was sitting on the pitches he started him off with and luckily he did, and I got a hold of it.

“I hit it really well, barreled it up really well, and it was fading toward the line so even with [Brett] Gardner’s speed, I felt like it was going to get there and we had D-Mac running with some fresh legs so I knew he was going to score no matter what.”

Keep in mind, Reddick was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts before his game-winning hit so he had to find other ways to contribute, and he certainly did. Russell Martin lined a base hit down the right field line with one out in the fifth. Reddick put himself in a perfect position for a bounce right to him.

Martin got greedy and decided to test Reddick. Bad idea. Reddick made a perfect one-hop throw to Marco Scutaro for the second out. But Reddick also made a big defensive play.

“Russell has pretty good speed for a catcher,” Reddick said. “I got off a quick release and a good throw and it ended up being on line and that ended up being a big factor in the game.”

What would’ve been a 2-run homer by Eduardo Nunez turned out to be just a solo and a 1-1 tie instead of a 2-1 Yankees lead.

“He’s got a real strong arm and he likes to show it,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “You see a lot less and less of him air-mailing the ball. He’s keeping it low. That was a terrific play. He’s really athletic. J.D.’s made right field look so easy, and it’s not. But Red’s done a good job.”

Perhaps most impressive about Reddick’s night was the fact that he didn’t let his 0-for-4 in his previous four at-bats affect the way he prepared for his biggest at-bat of the night.

“It’s in the past and you have to let it go,” Reddick said. “We’re still trying to win a ballgame, so you put it behind you, take a deep breath, step back and focus on that at-bat opposed to the ones you had earlier in the night.”

And so, Reddick has his first big “Yankee” moment as a member of the Red Sox.

“It’s always fun and this is actually my first time being a starter in this series and to be a part of that is a great feeling,” Reddick said. “But I prepared for it as I would any other game and tried not to let it get in my head. You’re still playing a baseball game and you still have to win.”

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  • J.Patterson

    Reddick barehanded grabs saving that extra second needed to throw runners out. Last night wasn’t the first time,he’s quick & aggressive and that my friends is a ballplayer moving onward and upward…forget about JD Drew, he is a pinch hitter at best.
    Was it me or is it obvious that another New York guy (Bobby Valentine) like McCarver really can’t help themselves when they take a shot at The Red Sox. Granted Beckett was taking a little more time then usual between pitches,but hey it certainly was muggy and there was alot riding on that game. Bobby Valentine could have made the point and moved on,but no he harped on it disdainfully for a few innings and of course that got Kruk going,who looked very uncomfortable in that Brown suit and it made for some agitated TV.BTW does anyone look good in a Dark Brown Suit? I don’t think so….Anyway Bobby Valentine’s pompousness comes off as sour grapes,he is unenjoyable to listen too,seriously I would take back Joe Morgan & Jon Miller…..

  • http://www.weei.com howie

    JD is no pinch hitter, he’s a defensive replacement. Reddick makes it look good, but JD gets there three steps before him, and knows exactly where the ball needs to go before he even looks. Too bad his bat left him this year, could have used one more good year out of Drew. Good as Reddick looks, he’s half the right fielder Drew is – at best. He’s young, he’ll learn, but let’s not crown a new king before his time.

  • J.Patterson

    Howie funny thing if we could watch the replay of what we’re discussing, I do recall Reddick being on the move at the crack of the bat and was in exactly the right place when it hit and came up throwing immediately and on the mark to 2nd Base.I don’t understand how JD could have been more efficient, I do agree that JD is a good fielder but as it is right now I will take the quicker Reddick from here on out.

  • Barry Stinson

    Reddick is doing fine, and I haven’t seen him leave the lineup because of a hangnail. Drew is a good right fielder, also a big wuss…

  • Paul

    J D Drew is wasting a roster spot.Bring up the Pawtucket catcher to pinch hit for the late inning offensive waste Veritek

  • Malden Native

    To J.Patterson Says:

    I agree that Valentine is a hack, but take back Jon Miller and Joe Morgan? Are you crazy? Those two were worse than Buck and McCarver. I don’t think a game went by where Morgan didn’t have to remind everyone that (a) he was in the Hall of Fame and (b) he was with the Big Red Machine when they beat the Red Sox in 1975. And Miller? I remember him babbling about Mother’s Day in the Dominican Republic while missing a great play in the outfield.

    When those two were dumped from ESPN, all I could think of was how much better the broadcasts would be without them!

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