Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Millar: Nostradamus
Fresh off a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees — one that dealt the Yankees their first eight-game losing streak since 1995 — the Boston Red Sox traveled to Texas to start a series with the Houston Astros.
In the first inning, Boston put a pair of runners on base and with two outs, center fielder Adam Duvall came to the plate. Former Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar, up in the booth, had a good feeling about the matchup for Duvall against pitcher Cristian Javier, and made a bold prediction.
The prediction was rather bold given Duvall entered play Monday night with a .242 average, and 12 home runs on the season. Furthermore, Duvall was 0-for-3 facing Javier prior to Monday night.
However, Millar’s bold call came true two pitches later:
“We’re doing it right now. Duvall’s going deep,” said Millar, after talking about how the outfielder is set to get “homer-hot” over the final six weeks of the season. After Duvall took a slider out of the zone to even the count at 1-1, he got a 94-mph fastball right down the heart of the plate.
And absolutely belted it for a two-out, three-run home run to give Boston the early 3-0 lead.
This is not the first time a memorable prediction of Millar’s came true. Back in 2004, with the Red Sox facing a 3-0 hole in the American League Championship Series, it was Millar — then the team’s first baseman — who famously told Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe that the Yankees had better not let the Red Sox win Game 4:
As you know, Boston did win Game 4, and then took the next three games to pull off the incredible comeback, advancing on to the World Series where they would defeat the St. Louis Cardinals for their first title since 1918.
Returning to Monday night, Millar’s prediction did not spur the Red Sox to a similar victory. Boston lost to the Astros 9-4, dropping the Red Sox to 66-59 on the season and four games out of the Wild Card race.
That just means Millar is going to have to step up his prediction game.
