Ryan Kalish in an interview in June, before he was called up to Boston to start in left field for the Red Sox. (Video from Cox Sports New England)
Shrewsbury product Ryan Kalish has been on fire this week, his first in major league baseball.
Five years after going straight to a Boston Red Sox farm team from Red Bank Catholic, Kalish was called up to Fenway Park from his post in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, to start against the Detroit Tigers last Saturday. In his first trip to the plate, he drove in a run with a single that shattered his bat.
Since then, he’s been “superb,” says the suburban Beantown Daily News Tribune. Going into last night’s game against the Cleveland Indians…
He was 7-for-13 in his first four games, and his batting average of .538 is the highest in Red Sox history through four games – Ted Williams is now third with a .444 average while Morgan Burkhart is down to second with a .533 mark.
Last night, he went 1-for-3, bringing his average to .471.
Tonight, locals are hoping to see their hometown standout under the lights at Yankee Stadium in the kickoff of a crucial series between the archrivals.
Among those planning to attend if Kalish is in the starting lineup is Shrewsbury Mayor Terel Cooperhouse.
Clearly, it’s a big moment for Kalish. From NESN.com:
“I’m gonna be a little nervous,” said Kalish, who has looked completely unafraid in batting .500 (7-for-14) in his first five games with Boston. “It’s New York, my family is pretty close to there. It’s going to be one of those things where you gotta put it aside because it’s just a game. You’ve got to win them.
“I can’t let nervousness affect me, so I won’t. I’m just gonna go out and play my game.”
