Red Sox clinch playoff spot via Ceddanne Rafaela walk-off vs. DET

Fenway Park became raucous as the ball hit the center field wall. The 25-year-old Rafaela became emotional as his teammates rushed the diamond to celebrate with him and put on red “October Baseball” t-shirts. Manager Alex Cora embraced the young player.

Speaking with Apple TV on the field immediately after winning the game, Rafaela talked about how Cora has supported him through his extremely high highs and rather low lows in the batter’s box this season.

“He always tells me, ‘Keep your head up, kid. Keep your head up. You know what type of player you are. Keep your head up,’” Rafaela said. “That’s what he tells me. He believes in me so much, and it’s been great.”

Rafaela’s hit Friday night was eerily reminiscent of his electric walk-off home run on July 11 against the Rays. Two months ago, he hit a moonshot two-run home run over the Green Monster, while wearing the same green City Connect uniforms, to secure Boston’s eighth-straight victory at the time. Its win streak eventually extended to 10.

Friday’s knock was even more important, for both the player and the team. Rafaela hasn’t been the same hot hitter he was in July, but he came through when it mattered most to punch the Red Sox’ playoff ticket.

“No words. No words,” Rafaela said of how he was feeling in the immediate aftermath. “I think this is the type of games I wanna play [in]. … I’ve had dreams about this moment. No words right now.”

Despite his recent slump, Rafaela appears to be heating up at the perfect time. He’s hit safely in six of his last seven games. Over that span, he’s batting .423 with a 1.118 OPS.

When asked what his mindset was during that memorable final at-bat, Rafaela gave a blunt response.

“I’m finishing it,” he said. “I’m gonna finish it right there. There’s no tomorrow. Nothing. I’m gonna finish it right there.”

Friday’s exciting finish was a microcosm of Boston’s roller coaster of a regular season. Starting pitcher Kyle Harrison gave up three runs through three innings of work, putting the Red Sox in an early 3-0 deficit. Their lineup slowly but surely cracked away at Detroit’s lead as their bullpen was virtually unhittable following Harrison’s exit.

Boston’s season has been filled with injuries, (Roman Anthony, most notably), organization-shaking moves (Rafael Devers, anyone?) and streaky play at different points throughout the year.

Ultimately, though, when it mattered most, the team banded together and secured the win. Friday’s win was the most important in four years.

After the game and before the team’s rowdy alcohol-filled celebration in the clubhouse ensred, Cora gave a gripping speech to his club.

“In spring training, we talked about hitting standards every single day, right? We knew it wasn’t gonna be perfect, but we were gonna grow as a family, we were gonna learn how to win games, and little by little, we were gonna be better and better and better. We talked right before the All-Star break that this was gonna happen, and that’s what really happened,” he said.

“I’m really proud of all of you guys, Cora continued. “Through the years, we went through a lot. Injuries, and other stuff, and then we struggled, and we got up. We kept going and going and going. Today was a perfect example of a team win. Everybody contributed. From the guys playing, to the guys in the dugout, to the clubbies, to everybody. Everybody contributed.

“You could feel the energy in that game. So I wanna thank you for the effort. I wanna thank you for everything you guys have done. But, you guys know, we didn’t come here to play only 162. We came here to win the World Series. Let’s [expletive] go.”

Kaley Brown

Sports producer

Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.

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