Jarren Duran On Inside-The-Park Home Run-Turned-Triple: 'I Was Pumped -- Maybe A Little Too Excited'

BOSTON (CBS) -- World, meet Jarren Duran's speed. Jarren Duran's speed, meet the world.

If there was anyone unaware of the jets on Red Sox rookie Jarren Duran prior to Wednesday evening, the 24-year-old made sure that everyone now knows that some special things might happen when he's on the basepaths.

This came in the form of what looked to have been an inside-the-park home run, only for the official scorer to (rightly) rule it to be a triple with an error on center fielder George Springer. While it didn't go down as an official home run in the stats, it did electrify the Fenway crowd and score two critical runs in the nightcap of a double-header vs. Toronto.

While it was celebrated in the moment as if it were an actual home run, the official scorer obviously changed that a bit. Duran wasn't too worried about that -- though he did note that his first Fenway dugout laundry cart ride is no longer official.

"Oh yeah I heard about that. I mean, I'll take the triple," Duran said after the 4-1 win. "I guess my laundry cart ride doesn't become official until I actually hit a real home run."

Duran said that off the bat, given Springer's positioning in left-center field, his goal was to get on third base.

"As soon as I got to third, [Carlos Febles] started waving me and I was like, I'm absolutely gassed," Duran admitted. "I was just hoping I could make it to home without falling."

Manager Alex Cora said he enjoys marveling at Duran's speed, and he got so focused on watching Duran fly around the bases that he wasn't even sure what happened in center field.

"That one, I don't even know, I wasn't even looking at George back there, you know? Then I saw the error [on the video board] and I was like, 'What happened here?' I didn't even know that he bobbled it or whatever," Cora said. "But he just, he will put pressure on people. That's what he brings, he's a smart base runner, he's very aggressive."

Cora added: "He's a game-changer. His speed is -- it changes the game. And that's what we're looking for. It's a weapon. And it was fun to watch him run the bases."

Duran agreed.

"My speed is one of my best attributes," he said. "So I hope I can use it to help me and the team score some runs and steal some bases in some crucial moments."

There was no doubt that this burst of speed helped the team win in a significant way. It turned a 2-1 lead into a 4-1 advantage, which was more than enough for Garrett Whitlock and Matt Barnes to secure the win the rest of the way in the seven-inning affair. And for Duran -- and Red Sox fans -- it created a touchstone moment by which his rookie year will certainly be remembered.

"I was pumped," Duran said. "I just felt like I helped the team do something. It's always a good moment to contribute to this amazing offense. So I was pumped. Maybe a little too excited, but you know. It happens."

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