Title: Kyle Isbel’s Hit Breaks Green Monster Scoreboard, Baffles Players and Fans
Date: 2:57 AM UTC
BOSTON — In a rare and bizarre incident at Fenway Park, the historic ballpark witnessed an unprecedented event that left fans, players, and even the veteran Red Sox radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione amazed. During the second inning of the Red Sox’s 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals, center fielder Kyle Isbel hit a line drive rocket off the Green Monster, which resulted in a truly astonishing outcome.
With two outs in the bottom of the second inning, Isbel connected with a 96.6 mph fastball, sending the ball crashing into Fenway Park’s infamous Green Monster. However, when Red Sox left fielder Masataka Yoshida raced back to retrieve the ball, he found himself in a state of confusion as he couldn’t locate it.
“I realized I missed catching the ball, but after that, I tried to find the ball, but it was nowhere,” Yoshida said through interpreter Keiichiro Wakabayashi. “So that was a surprise.”
The mystery surrounding the missing ball was eventually solved. A broken red light bulb, used to indicate the number of outs on Fenway’s manual scoreboard, revealed that the ball had struck the bulb and had gotten stuck inside it. This peculiar turn of events had never been witnessed before, causing both teams to grapple with the rules and consequences.
The hit was ruled a ground-rule double, and Royals third baseman Matt Duffy, who had initially rounded the bases and crossed home plate amidst the confusion, was sent back to third, consequently depriving the Royals of a run.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro expressed his surprise at the situation, saying, “That’s a first for me. Especially a metal wall, you figure the ball’s going to bounce back. I don’t know what’s going to happen if it bounced, if it rolls far enough away to score a run, or if it bounces right back to him. Who knows. But it hurt us right there to at least have a chance.”
The entire Fenway Park, including both teams, joined Yoshida in his bewilderment until the nature of the incident became apparent. Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta, who threw the pitch that lodged into the Green Monster, compared the play to a similar incident during Game 3 of the 2021 American League Division Series between the Rays and the Red Sox. In that game, Kevin Kiermaier hit a ball off Pivetta that ricocheted off the wall, outfielder Hunter Renfroe, and eventually into Boston’s bullpen, resulting in a ground-rule double.
While the stakes were not as high in Wednesday’s game, yet another strange occurrence reminded everyone of Fenway Park’s unique quirks.
“It was a weird situation,” remarked Royals starter Jordan Lyles. “I’ve never seen that. No one’s seen it, I don’t think. Luckily, the outfielder trying to go get that ball didn’t hurt himself. Just a little weird Fenway quirky thing.”
The unprecedented event captivated fans and became a topic of discussion on social media, further solidifying Fenway Park’s reputation as a hallowed ground with its own set of enigmatic surprises.