Connor Wong’s role with the Red Sox has shrunk in recent seasons, but Saturday he made the most of a rare start—overturning a big moment with a home-run call that didn’t stand, then delivering 3 RBIs late to help Boston secure a 2-1 lead and add insurance in t
Connor Wong’s Saturday didn’t look like it was headed toward a headline. For long stretches, the catcher has felt the ground shift under his feet—first losing the everyday starting job, then sliding farther down the depth chart as the Red Sox reorganized behind other options.
Still, when Mickey Gasper had been named the primary catcher for Boston against right-handed pitchers, Wong didn’t disappear. He got his start Saturday evening, and in the sixth inning he looked like he’d land a personal spark that could have changed the whole feel of his night.
With the Red Sox in the bottom of the sixth. Wong hit what everyone in the dugout believed was a home run. He even went through the celebration that comes with that certainty. Then the moment collapsed into a review. The home run was overturned after officials determined the ball struck just under the yellow line at the top of the Cleveland wall.
But Wong didn’t come away empty.
After the big hit was taken off the board, he still delivered an RBI out of the double to give Boston a 2-1 lead. Then he made the late innings belong to him. In the top of the ninth, Wong came through again with a pair of RBIs that added insurance, and he was brought in soon after for another run.
The victory carried an extra layer of humanity for Wong because the game required the Red Sox to remove his Wally head celebration from the night’s script. The uniform novelty had been introduced at the start of 2025. and even though Wong wore it once before—as a first—this was the first time he was able to use it in his own way. Yet it also marked a season-long frustration: Wong went through all of 2025 without a home run.
“It sucks that now it’s taken away, but we got the win so it’s fine,” Wong told reporters. “I still think it was a homer. I wish I could challenge it myself, but it is what it is.”
For Wong, that mix—hurt pride paired with relief—was the real takeaway. The home run he thought he’d nailed wouldn’t count, and he couldn’t push the challenge himself, but the timing of the RBIs made sure the night still had weight.
The bigger picture still leaves him fighting for position. Over the last two seasons, Wong has seen his role steadily diminish. He played 126 games each season in 2023 and 2024, batting .280 in 2024 as Boston’s starting catcher. In 2025. he hoped to return to that role after Boston traded away top catching prospect Kyle Teel as the main return for Garrett Crochet. But the sudden rise of Carlos Narvaez pushed Wong out of primary catching responsibilities—he played 63 games and batted .190. the second-lowest average of his career.
Now, Mickey Gasper has emerged above both Wong and Narvaez. Interim manager Chad Tracy said Boston would be aggressive in getting Gasper into the lineup against right-handed pitchers. essentially setting him as the primary catcher Saturday. Tracy added that things could change later, noting that injuries happen or players go into slumps.
Even so, Saturday offered Wong a clear argument for staying involved: he finished the night with 3 RBIs. This year, he owns a .245 batting average—serviceable, though still behind Gasper’s .340 mark. Narvaez sits at .210.
Wong might not be able to reclaim a starting role. but his output is the kind that forces a second glance. For a player who’s spent recent seasons watching his opportunities tighten. Saturday’s win didn’t just help the Red Sox—it gave Wong a meaningful reminder that when his moment comes. he can still make it count.
Connor Wong Red Sox Chad Tracy Mickey Gasper Carlos Narvaez Kyle Teel Garrett Crochet Wally head Cleveland wall home run overturned 3 RBIs
Lol the “Wally head” celebration didn’t even survive the review.
So he got 3 RBIs but the homer got taken away? I’m confused how that works. Like if it’s literally a home run, why would it not stand? Sounds like bad call or something.
I watched a highlight of the wall thing and thought it hit fair by like a inch or whatever. Yellow line at the top of the wall though?? That seems super picky. Also why does the catcher’s “role shrunk” every year, like are they rebuilding the whole team around him or what.
Baseball reviews always take the fun out of it. He’s hitting, does the whole celebration, then bam gone. But they still say he helped late so I guess it worked out. Cleveland wall yellow line… I don’t even know what “under the yellow line” means like did the ball go into the stands or just barely miss? Either way 2-1 lead is clutch I guess.