CLEVELAND — Kristian Campbell’s alert baserunning put the Red Sox ahead 2-0 in the second inning Sunday.
It was a smart read by a 22-year-old rookie. It wasn’t third base Kyle Hudson yelling to him to take off.
“ That one was me because I was really trying to score,“ Campbell said after the Red Sox’ 13-3 win over the Guardians at Progressive Field.
With Campbell at third base and one out, Ceddanne Rafaela hit a shallow 252-foot fly ball to center field. Campbell initially didn’t attempt to tag up. But he sprinted home when cutoff man Carlos Santana was unable to catch center fielder Angel Martínez’s high throw.
“He caught it shallow so I couldn’t go on the initial tag up,” Campbell said. “But soon as I saw it pop off his glove, I was like, ‘I’ve got a chance.’ So I just took off.”
Manager Alex Cora already mentioned Campbell’s strong instincts on the bases earlier this season.
“Really just making up my mind is the main thing, not being hesitant when it comes to baserunning,” Campbell said. “Making good decisions. And just if you’re gonna do it, do it. Don’t be stuck in the middle.”
Campbell reached base in all five plate appearances. He went 2-for-2 with three walks, two RBIs and four runs.
He ripped a two-run single with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to make it 6-0.
“I’m pretty comfortable. Just taking one at-bat at a time,” Campbell said. “Take quality at-bats. I think that’s my goal every time I go up to bat — is to take a quality at-bat. And I was able to draw some walks today and a couple hits to contribute to the team. So it was overall a successful game.”
