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New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells etched his name into baseball history during Sunday’s dominant 16-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Wells, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning, delivered two home runs in the eighth inning—a feat never before accomplished in Major League Baseball.
Wells initially came off the bench to replace Ali Sánchez and contributed a sacrifice fly as the Yankees built their lead. However, his performance in the eighth inning became the story of the day. He launched a solo home run off pitcher Jovani Morán to begin the inning, then returned to add a three-run blast later in the same frame, this time connecting against infielder Andruw Monasterio.
According to OptaSTATS, Wells became the first player in MLB history to pinch-hit and subsequently hit two home runs within a single inning. The achievement comes at an encouraging time for Wells, who has struggled offensively throughout most of the season but has shown recent improvement. Over his last seven games, he has posted an impressive .897 on-base plus slugging percentage, though that sample includes just 19 at-bats.
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Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
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