If you needed a snapshot of what Jarren Duran brings to the table, the third inning of Saturday night’s 7-3 Red Sox win over Cleveland had it all — the bat, the legs, and the chaos.
Duran started the show by blistering an RBI triple into the left-field corner at nearly 100 mph off the bat. But he wasn’t done yet. Moments later, Duran took off and swiped home —a straight steal, no hesitation — blowing past Guardians starter Doug Nikhazy, who didn’t even bother to hold him.
It marked the first time a Boston Red Sox player had pulled a straight steal of home since Jacoby Ellsbury pulled it off in 2009 — exactly 16 years to the day.
“The Perfect Player” Lights a Spark
Nikhazy, working out of the windup, left the door open and Duran busted it down. Despite a “fairly pedestrian” sprint speed of 25 feet per second by his own freakish standards, Duran’s massive secondary lead and pure instincts carried him to the plate. He and the ball got there almost simultaneously, but Duran slid around Bo Naylor’s tag with ease.
“In this environment, with the new rules, he’s kind of like the perfect player,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “He runs the bases well and hits the ball hard. He’s an exciting player. We saw a window there and he took advantage.”
The Red Sox had picked up on Nikhazy’s habit of pitching from the windup even with runners threatening, and when Duran reached third, the plan was already locked in.
“I knew I was going first pitch if he was going to give it to me,” Duran said afterward.
The dugout exploded after the play, and even Rafael Devers got in on it, throwing up an animated safe signal at home. “[Devers] was the umpire on that play,” Cora joked. “He called him safe.”
Walker Buehler didn’t hold back either, calling Duran “one of the most exciting players in baseball” while adding, “he’s hitting the ball hard and it’s kind of coming [in]to fruition for him.”
Henry Palattella of MLB.com notes that Saturday marked the third steal of home in Duran’s career — and his first straight steal since his minor league days with Double-A Portland in 2019.
Duran himself summed it up best: “I was able to cause a little chaos and keep the momentum of the play on our side.”
It wasn’t just Duran busting out either. Trevor Story snapped an 0-for-17 slump with an RBI single in the first inning, and Devers kept rolling with a 2-for-4 night, a double, an RBI, and a walk tacked onto his Game 1 homer.
The Red Sox are hoping Duran’s electric night can help ignite his season. He entered the doubleheader hitting just .241 but finished Game 2 with a 3-for-5 line, a triple, two RBIs, three runs scored, and his league-leading ninth stolen base.
“It was fun to watch,” Cora said.
Red Sox ‘Perfect Player’ Jarren Duran Steals Home in Thrilling Moment