Two Years In The Making, Daniel Nava Goes Yard Again
BOSTON (CBS) – It's hard to forget what Daniel Nava did with his first swing in the Major Leagues, crushing a grand slam at Fenway Park back in 2010.
It was a long road to the Majors for Nava, and after spending all of 2011 in the minors, the slam remained his only major league home run.
That is until Monday night. It took him two years and 171 at-bats, but the Red Sox outfielder left the yard once again, much to the outfielder's relief.
"We were joking in the dugout," Nava said after Boston's 6-1 win over the Mariners. "They were congratulating me and I said, 'I'm just glad that I hit more than one.'"
"A couple of years ago, (Kelly Shoppach) was with the Rays and I stepped into the box and he said, 'Hey, you're the guy who hit that home run on the first pitch.' I said, 'Yeah.' Then he said, 'You haven't really done anything since.' I started laughing. I couldn't really say anything," Nava told CSNNE's Sean McAdam Monday night.
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On Monday, both Nava and Shoppach went deep for Boston.
Since being called up last week, it has been hard for opposing pitchers to get Nava out. He has seven hits in 12 at-bats, and six more walks to give him a .583 batting average and .750 OBP. He's scored six runs and driven in six more, and is in what manager Bobby Valentine called 'a hitter's wonderland.'
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"It's been phenomenal," Valentine said of Nava's performance. "Every hitter, when they're in that zone, say they're seeing the ball. You can see that Daniel -- from both sides of the plate -- he's fouling off the tough pitches, taking the balls very early and confidently, and putting a good swing on strikes. That's a hitter's wonderland, and he's in it. I hope he can stay in for a long time."
Nava has a hit in each of his five games since being recalled from Pawtucket, and reached base in 15 of his 20 plate appearances. He's been on base at least twice in each of his five games, making him the first Red Sox to do that since Jason Varitek accomplished the feat back in 2006.
With Boston outfield missing two of its three starters in the outfield, it is nice to see Nava – who at 29-years-old has spent the majority of his career in the minors – making the most of another opportunity in the big leagues.
