After just one game at Yankee Stadium, Red Sox rookie Roman Anthony isn't leaving the Bronx with any more friends.
Anthony went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a massive two-run home run in the ninth inning to give Boston some insurance runs to hold onto a 6-3 win in the series opener. He obliterated a ball to the second deck in right field for an absolute no-doubter.
The 21-year-old right fielder could only watch the ball sail and toss his bat to the ground, putting his mark on Major League Baseball's most bitter rivalry.
Roman Anthony CRUSHES this ball to the second deck 😳 pic.twitter.com/VjtsXqg6oc
— MLB (@MLB) August 22, 2025
The Roman Empire!
— MLB (@MLB) August 22, 2025
Roman Anthony crushes a homer in his first career game at Yankee Stadium 💪 pic.twitter.com/huULenlGZj
Anthony got to play the Yankees at Fenway Park during his first week with the Red Sox, but had a quiet series going 0-for-5 at the plate. After the big performance Thursday, he admitted it felt nice to break out on the road after he had 58 major league games under his belt.
"Now that I'm settled in and through that first week this time around, it felt a little bit more calm and more controlled," he said postgame Thursday via NESN. "It just felt better, it was exciting."
When speaking to his first game at Yankee Stadium, he called the atmosphere "awesome," especially as a member of the Red Sox stepping into the hostile environment. After the performance Thursday, Anthony is slashing .286/.405/.448 with five homers and 26 RBIs thus far through his first season.
The Red Sox called up the former 2022 second-round pick in early June, and he entered the big leagues as baseball's top prospect. He signed an eight-year, $130 million contract extension two weeks ago to remain in Boston long term. Yankees fans hoped Boston would delay Anthony's arrival as long as possible, but the young star put his stamp on the rivalry in his first opportunity at Yankee Stadium. And he'll have three more cracks over the weekend.
Boston and New York currently sit atop the American League's wild-card race with the Yankees a half game in front of the Red Sox for the first wild card.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Roman Anthony Made His Mark in First Game at Yankee Stadium With Epic Bat Flip.