“He told me I was tipping (my pitch) on the one he hit a homer off,” the new Sox closer said last week, referring to Game 2 of last year’s American League wild-card series between the Sox and Oakland Athletics. “It’s pretty much the most productive home run I’ve given up.”
Hendriks was a major free-agent addition for the Sox this offseason, just as Grandal was the previous offseason. The catcher slashed .230/.351/.422 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs in 46 games in 2020. He added two home runs in the three-game wild-card series against the A’s, including the two-run blast against Hendriks.