The Boston Red Sox stole a win from the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday afternoon on a walk-off so unlikely that it took the team a second to realize they had won the game.
After a back-and-forth affair that saw both teams go through more pitchers than they would have liked, the Red Sox were up to bat in the bottom of the ninth with the game tied 9–9.
Ceddanne Rafaela stepped up to the plate and connected on a pitch from Brock Burke, blooping what appeared off the bat to be a foul ball into the outfield.
Except Fenway Park has parameters unlike any other ballpark in the majors, and what would have been at best a foul ball and at worst an easy out anywhere else in the league turned into a game-winning walk-off dinger.
Rafaela appeared to know he had gotten away with one. He barely left the box after making contact, and literally shrugged his shoulders in a “well, sure I’ll take it” gesture while rounding the bases.
Ceddanne Rafaela walks off a CRAZY game with a home run around Pesky's Pole!!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/MAAVZRS9zA
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 4, 2025
308 feet, with an exit velocity of 94 mph and a launch angle of 31 degrees. There was only one ballpark in the majors that this was a home run in, but it was the one the Sox were playing in today.
⚾Ceddanne Rafaela! HR (6)
— Home Run Report (@homerunreport) June 4, 2025
6/4/25 @ BOS, ⬇️ 9th
vs LHP Brock Burke
94.0 MPH / 31° / 308 ft to RF
Off a 86.9 MPH changeup
▶️It's a home run in 1/30 parks.◀️
🏟️(Only in BOS.)
📺: https://t.co/5y3EvKCDCW pic.twitter.com/Ytl8guLlBO
Has a shorter walk-off home run ever been hit? It might be one of those stats that is impossible to break, like how the longest kickoff return for a touchdown will always be 109 yards, just because that is how big the field is. The Red Sox are pushing the limits of what is possible in walk-off home run studies.
Rafaela’s walk-off secured the 11–9 win for the Red Sox. Next up for Boston is a rivalry series against the Yankees in New York. Who will win the battle of the short porches?
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Red Sox Hit Walk-Off Home Run So Short They Couldn’t Believe It Left the Park.
