Willson Contreras absolutely blasted a 3-run shot clear out of Fenway Park last night, and what followed was a complete Logan Webb meltdown, with five Boston runs crossing home plate in the 3rd inning alone.
Contreras Unleashes a Monster, Webb’s Old Demons Surface
This wasn’t just a home run; it was a pure, unadulterated horror show for Webb. That ball was a 450-foot missile, screaming over the legendary Green Monster, past the luxury seats, over the billboards, and landing down on Lansdowne Street. It was like a satellite, a dead exploded star tattooed across the Boston sky, just disappearing. The exit velocity? A ridiculous 116 M.P.H. off Contreras’s bat. What gets you is that it came off Webb’s beloved change-up, the very flower of his palm, perfectly located at the bottom of the zone. You could practically hear the “KA-BOOM” as his pitches just went everywhere. What’s even wilder, this was the first homer Webb had given up in five starts. And the one before that? Yeah, that was another shocking 3-run job he served up in the 7th inning right here in Seattle. The Emerald City remembers that one, a painful reminder of how quickly a game can flip. That was the first time in nearly a year his dense change-up got lifted over an outfield wall.
From Blast to Breakdown: Webb Stumbles in the Rubble
But Friday night, that single blast wasn’t the end of the nightmare; it was just the beginning. After Contreras’s shot, Webb completely lost it. The cruelest task for a pitcher is throwing the next pitch after a bomb like that. His equilibrium was shot, location turned into pure guesswork. He was teetering and flailing. Adley Rutschman and Caleb Durbin both singled, and then Webb plunked Jarren Durran with an inside cutter to load the bases. This guy, a veteran right-hander, rarely hands out free passes with the bags juiced. It had only happened four times in 63 prior plate appearances with the bases loaded, whether by walk or hit-by-pitch. But last night, the echo of that Contreras bomb was clearly still ringing in his ears, haunting his subconsciousness. Webb was a shell of the man he was just five minutes prior, actively processing that he was one out away from getting back to the dugout with a lead. He tried to put on a brave face, but he was stumbling through the rubble, unable to find his way out. Five batters later, with two more runs scoring, his manager had to guide him off the mound. All five of those Boston runs in the third? They came with two outs. Talk about a gut punch.
It was a truly stunning implosion from a pitcher who’s been otherwise solid. That 3rd inning in Boston, just like that other 3-run blast he gave up in Seattle, shows how quickly things can unravel, even for the best. The real question is, how long will that Contreras missile haunt his subconsciousness? We’ll be watching to see if he can shake off this horror show next time out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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