“I definitely got some height on it,” Buckley instructed the Herald on Friday. “I just kind of jumped up and threw my glove up there, and I think I just put it in the right spot. There wasn’t too much time to think.”
Before the magical second, Buckley had already been standing up, because the Red Sox had put the sport away by scoring 4 runs within the eighth, which he mentioned helped make the distinction.
Kike Hernandez hit a solo blast to the Monster seats an inning earlier to offer the Red Sox a one-run lead on the time, 2-1. The ball landed a number of sections away from Buckley.
“It was more like, ‘Wow, that ball got out of here quick, so I have to be ready if something is coming near me,’” Buckley mentioned of his mindset that helped him catch not simply Wong’s dinger but in addition fame from Red Sox Nation.
Fenway Park hosted a Twentieth-anniversary celebration Thursday of the Monster seats, which made their debut in the course of the 2003 season. Buckley, earlier on within the night, gave fist bumps to NESN broadcasters Dave O’Brien, Tim Wakefield and Kevin Youkilis, who referred to as the sport a number of sections away as a substitute of within the broadcast sales space.
“Connor Wong will touch them all, and the catch made!,” O’Brien referred to as. “It is a great night to be in the Monster seats!”
Soon, the WooSox Twitter account posted, “Connor Wong ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶n̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ TO THE WOOSOX BAT BOY!!!!!! no, seriously. our bat boy just caught Connor Wong’s home run.”
Buckley’s cellphone blew up with textual content messages.
“I was finishing up all the high fives around me and stuff, and I already had multiple texts about ‘Nice catch,’ sending me the video of it from their tv,” he mentioned. “It really hasn’t stopped.”
Buckley was born three weeks after the Red Sox broke the ‘Curse of the Bambino’ by profitable the 2004 World Series, breaking their 86-year drought. The first Red Sox championship he remembers is once they gained in 2013, additionally towards St. Louis.
Buckley and his household used to journey to Fenway from their dwelling in Hopedale, close to Worcester, yearly. But now that he has his drivers license, he goes to video games extra typically. Thursday marked his first time sitting atop the Monster.
“I would go for any seat anywhere,” Buckley mentioned. “I just love being in the ballpark, but I’ve always said if there’s one seat in sports that I’d like to sit in, it’s the Monster.”
The first-year bat boy for the WooSox will likely be attending Dean College within the fall for sports activities broadcasting, and he mentioned he hopes he can maintain his summer season job by school.
Buckley attended Thursday’s sport along with his youthful brother, getting the tickets as a present after graduating from Blackstone Valley Tech in Upton two weeks in the past.
“It was awesome being able to share that moment with him,” Buckley mentioned of his embrace along with his brother after the catch of the night time. “We will remember that for the rest of our lives.”
“Between the WooSox job and everything that happened last night, I’m living the dream.”
Fans have a good time catching Connor Wong #12 of the Boston Red Sox dwelling run ball in the course of the eighth inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Fans have a good time after Aaron Buckley (left) caught Connor Wong’s dwelling run in the course of the eighth inning of the Red Sox sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday night time. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
Fans have a good time catching Connor Wong #12 of the Boston Red Sox dwelling run ball in the course of the eighth inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox is all smiles after reaching first base and scoring Masataka Yoshida and Jarren Duran in the course of the eighth inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox will get caught in a rundown and his tagged out by Kevin Newman #28 of the Cincinnati Reds in the course of the eighth inning of the MLB sport at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Alex Verdugo #99 of the Boston Red Sox scores the go-ahead run from Rafael Devers double in the course of the eighth inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Alex Verdugo #99 of the Boston Red Sox scores the go-ahead run from Rafael Devers double in the course of the eighth inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Alex Verdugo #99 of the Boston Red Sox scores the go-ahead run from Rafael Devers double in the course of the eighth inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Fans go after a foul ball in the course of the fifth inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Nick Pivetta #37 of the Boston Red Sox screams out in celebration after putting out Curt Casali #12 of the Cincinnati Reds ending the highest of the seventh inning in the course of the MLB sport at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates his homer in the course of the seventh inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates his homer in the course of the seventh inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates his homer in the course of the seventh inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox hits a double scoring Alex Verdugo in the course of the eighth inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates his double in the course of the fourth inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox slams his bat after his double, considering he simply hit a come out in the course of the fourth inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox slides safely into dwelling plate after Justin Turner singles in the course of the fourth inning of the MLB sport towards the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Thursday in Boston, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) June 1, 2023
Bhagyashree Soni is a software engineer with soft writing skills. She is a degree holder from the International School of Entrepreneurial Leadership. She has been a state-level badminton champion and chess player. A woman with a forthright attitude enjoys her writing passion as her chosen career. Writing in the context of feminism, social cause and entrepreneurship is her forte.